Safeguards to Living Forever
by luukagu
Summary: VAMPIRE AU. Rin isn't the same when he gets back from Australia... [dark Rin/Haru] [slash]
1. Prelude

**Luuka:** Not including this chapter which is the prelude, this story is 5 chapters long and I have 4 of them already written. For chapters, we're talking about 5-7,000 words a piece but I've yet to do the ending which is why they're not up yet: idk, I'm disorganised. So, stake me.

**Warnings:** MxM explicit sexual content (yaoi), explicit gore, death, animal death, psychological themes, explicit torture and general darkness that people may find disturbing.

Review if you have the time.

* * *

The nightclub was hot and cramped, but that was only to be expected. Rin lounged idly at the bar in a shadowy patch, trying to keep his head down and observe the other men who writhed about on the dancefloor. A man who had been watching Rin for some time made his way toward him, eventually- they were always the ones to approach him. All he had to do was wait, and he'd get a different man every night; Rin found it all very exciting.

'What's your name?'

'Yoshito.'

'That it, huh? I'm Rin.'

'Can I get you a drink?'

Yoshito- or rather, the man standing before Rin- was Rin's idea of perfect. He was fit with warm cheeks and clean skin- perhaps in his late thirties- although their age didn't matter; as long as _he_ would be satisfied with them, then nothing else was important.

'No- I'm not feeling thirsty right now. Hey... do you want to come back to my place?'

They might as well get to the point- after all, that was all the men ever wanted. They just needed a single night.

And that was all they ever had.

* * *

_5 years earlier:_

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Someone was throwing stones at his window. What time was it? Haru rolled over.

02:03 a.m.

He had school tomorrow, too...

Thump. Thump.

The stones continued. Small ones- not thrown with enough force to break the glass- but somebody definitely wanted Haru's attention. Haru sat in bed, ripped back the curtains and opened his bedroom window. A single, solitary person stood waiting for him outside.

'…_Rin_?'

The word escaped Haru's lips as a rush of air. He was half asleep- if not completely- and it was difficult to distinguish his surroundings due to the dark. There was a shadowy figure standing by the front door of his house whom resembled an older version of his childhood friend, staring up at Haru with eyes that glowed crimson.

'You'll let me in, won't you... Haru-_ka_?'

The question was irresistible: it was whispered lovingly, but seemed to scrape across Haru's ears. Rin dragged out the last syllable in Haru's name- stretching it slowly- and Haru found his voice bewitching. It was both a question and a statement, a challenge and a dare- Haru's lips pressed into a line. It had been five years since he'd seen Rin... so why was Rin here, now, of all times?

'Rin, don't you know what time-'

'Haru... say that I can come in.'

That would be easier, Haru supposed- he could invite Rin inside to explain everything where it was warm.

'You can come in. I'll get the key-'

'No.' Rin replied, simply. 'I'm coming up.'

Haru didn't know how Rin was going to 'come up,' when both his front and back door were locked, but had already convinced himself by this point that he was in a dream state. His eyes closed as he yawned, then when he opened them three seconds later Rin was gone. The patch of soil where he'd been standing was empty... uncomfortably, Haru lay back down.

Approximately one minute passed before Haru's bedroom door opened with a muted click. He froze: he hadn't heard anyone come upstairs. Ever-so-slightly he turned away from the wall, in an attempt to get a view of the person who'd entered.

Haru could see the outline of a man standing before him in the dark, slipping a jacket over his arms and soundlessly climbing out of his pants before getting into bed with Haru. Haru felt a strong body press up against his, then a warm breath as someone's lips met his neck.

'_Haru,_' Rin breathed into his ear. 'I'm back.'

Haru felt Rin's hands slip underneath his pyjamas and grasp his member, kicking his bottoms to his ankles. Both men's legs tangled in the sheets as Rin crawled closer and wrapped himself around Haru, pressing their bodies tightly together. The intimacy wasn't something that Haru would have wanted so suddenly, but now that they'd started, he wasn't going to stop.

Rin was alternatively soft and sharp as he licked and bit around Haru's neck, kissing Haru's chin and jaw yet avoiding touching his lips. His teeth were sharp- scratching Haru faintly- and Haru writhed against the sheets, realising he'd yet to get a good look at Rin's face. But their situation was escalating quickly, so Haru didn't turn on the light; this was Rin- he _knew_ this was Rin; every touch reaffirmed it.

Rin held him down with a palm as he climbed atop of Haru's waist to straddle him, weaving their hips together as he pressed their erections close. Haru stretched out a hand to touch Rin's cheek- he could only see outlines in the dark, but his hands wanted to feel how much his childhood friend had grown. He wanted to embrace Rin properly, to make up for all the years they'd spent apart- to fill himself in on the lost time using touches. He wanted to feel the firmness of Rin's muscles, listen to the beating of his heart and the steady hum of his pulse: he wanted to be one with Rin, in the most natural sense of the statement.

'Haru,' Rin breathed. 'You have to be the one to do it. If it's me, I won't be able to hold back...'

Rin took Haru into his arms and shifted him up whilst laying himself down, simultaneously switching their positions. Haru was on top, but knew it wasn't to be dominant: it was so he could give Rin pleasure- so they could both feel pleasure together.

As Haru settled himself on top of Rin, his eyes red appeared to gleam in the dark... or perhaps it was his imagination... he couldn't think through the pleasure...

'Haru. Haru. Haru...'

Haru gasped as he rode Rin, digging his hands into Rin's ribs as his slender hips bounced up and down, picking up a pace. Rin's length felt as if it were stirring around his hot, tight anus, kneading into the sensitive flesh as it quivered and vibrated around him. It was burning, overwhelming... more intense than anything Haru had ever felt.

'Haru... Haru...'

A coarse whisper. Rin reached out and extended a hand to Haru's chest, his fingers splayed over Haru's heart. Haru's eyelids fluttered as he panted, rocking himself on top of Rin's member as Rin used his free hand grasp Haru's own in time with his movements.

'Haru...'

'Rin...'

_I've missed you so much._

Haru wasn't sure which one of them had said the words, but they were the last thing he'd registered before ecstasy shot through his body, exhaustion overcame him and he drifted into sleep.


	2. Wholesome

**Luuka:** Same warnings mentioned in the prelude, click back to read them again! I'm not writing which specific themes occur because that would ruin the story, so you're going to have to bear all the themes in mind and brace yourself to some extent when you read.

**Forewarning:** This is a horror story. While I don't consider it 'scary,' the large amount of psychological content may make this chapter and future chapters disturbing or uncomfortable, which is why I suggest you go back and study the warnings: this story is rated as 'Mature.' Please bear that in mind before you read. Thank you!

Review if you can- these things take time to write.

* * *

Rin was gone in the morning... if he'd ever been there in the first place. The sheets were musty, but Haru didn't know what to think: the sun had rose suddenly, and it seemed all too easy to pass it off as a dream.

School passed normally for Haru, who attended swimming practice afterwards then went to a nearby supermarket to stock up on herbs, vegetables and milk. When he got back to his house, a luminous sticky note had been pressed to his front door.

'_Welcome home. Come and find me_.'

Haru frowned to himself. The note itself was innocent enough, but unless Makoto had written it then it meant that someone had found their way into Haru's home... he would have been far more cautious if he didn't already know who that 'someone' was. They always had been dramatic with first impressions.

A brief sigh left Haru's lips. He pushed open the front door, to find several more notes scattered across his hall:

'_I borrowed your shower. You're close._'

'_Basement is off limits. You're getting closer._'

'_Your living room wallpaper doesn't match your drapes. Almost there._'

_He's abusing sticky notes now_, Haru thought, as he tore down the piece of paper, making his way to the next one which he could see at the top of the stairs.

'_P.S. I may have broken your bathroom window last night. Also look behind you._'

Haru didn't get the chance. Two strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist and a head came to rest against his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Haru saw several strands of pink hair-

'Rin.'

'Yo, Haru. How are you?'

'...suffocating.'

Haru tried to pull out of Rin's arms but they were tight around his ribs, clamping him in place as Rin kissed and nipped his neck. He changed his focus to prise apart Rin's fingers, but it wasn't any good- they might as well have been welded to his waist for how tightly Rin was holding him. And yet, it wasn't uncomfortable- just sudden was all.

'Knocking on my door would have been too efficient?'

'Admit it: this worked much better.'

Pointy teeth scraped Haru's ear as Rin ran his hands over Haru's muscles, rubbing the smooth skin in appreciation. If Haru weren't feeling annoyed, the touch would have been arousing.

'You can't come in as you like,' he told Rin. 'This is breaking and entering. You're acting like a thug.'

'So? Call the cops.' Rin's laughter snuffed against Haru's ear. 'Last night you invited me in. And I didn't break in today, Haru- I never left.'

That was... disturbing, Haru thought decidedly. He hadn't seen Rin in the morning, and neither had he heard anything before he'd left for school. Rin hadn't been next to Haru when he'd woken up, so then... where?

_'Rin-'_

'You're not in the mood.' Rin pinched Haru's thigh. 'Haru, you're_ boring_ me right now. Anyway, it's almost dusk... I'm going out for some food.'

Then he took off, leaving Haru confused as to what had just transpired.

* * *

Rin came back to Haru's house at 9pm where he found Haru in the kitchen, washing plates.

'There's stir-fry if you want it,' offered Haru.

'Mmn, thanks, but I've already got something.'

Rin showed no indication of telling Haru where he'd gone. He climbed up onto the kitchen counter, where he watched Haru through slitted red eyes. The look that Rin gave him was more than slightly contemptuous; to Haru, it looked as though Rin were assessing his worth. Rin's eyes trailed up to Haru's legs and lingered on his hips, flitting upwards past his chest, eventually stopping on Haru's face. An amused smile touched Rin's lips, as if he liked what he saw.

'It's been a long time, hasn't it, Haru?'

'Only five years. How was Australia?'

'I hated it; I _missed_ you. It was so lonely without you... Haru.'

'I didn't miss you.'

'So you say. Haru, how are your hips this evening? Do they still hurt from where you rode me last night?'

'Why are you here?'

'Why else would I come to your house? To see you again, of course.'

Rin tossed his hair over his shoulders and ran his tongue over his lips, smoothing a loose finger across his thighs as he parted his legs over the counter.

_He's flirting,_ Haru realised. _Not subtlety, either._

It wasn't difficult for Haru to see what Rin was trying to do: Rin was attempting to use his sex appeal in order to persuade Haru to let him stay at his house. It was strange how even though Haru could see through what Rin doing, it was still working on him, despite that.

'Do you want to stay?'

'That would be great.'

'If you're sticking around then you can help with chores,' insisted Haru. 'Come on.'

He needed to change his bed.

* * *

'We have to organise sleeping arrangements.' Haru told Rin, as he pulled out the previous sheet- every so often as he changed the bedding, Haru snuck glances across to Rin.

Rin had grown up well: he was aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. His red hair was dishevelled yet at the same time, not a strand looked out of place. He had a strong, muscular body with powerful thighs and an attractive grin to match; his red eyes shimmered like liquid, but flickered with a sense of suppressed playfulness.

'Hey, Haru... can I really stay?'

'Yeah.'

Haru focused on putting the case on a pillow, taking longer than necessary to smooth out the individual creases.

'Since we used to do it when we were kids…' the words were blunt, 'do you want to sleep with me?'

'Haru… I would love to sleep with you, but that isn't gonna work. I don't sleep at night.'

'Insomnia?'

'Something like that.'

'What about school?'

'What about it?'

Rin crawled toward Haru and pressed his nose into Haru's neck, whilst his hands undid the buttons of Haru's shirt. Haru gave up any planned attempts to make coherent conversation with Rin: the other man seemed far too distracted to even hear the words Haru was saying, let alone conjure any type of response. Rin pinned him down against the bed, grinding their pelvises together.

'Get off,' Haru told Rin, aware that his traitor body was responding- 'we still haven't decided where you're going to sleep. Do you want my bed during the day?'

'No- your bedroom is at the front of the house. It would get bright during the day... sunlight shines in through the curtains. I need somewhere dark- just drag a futon to your basement.'

It wasn't a question- it was a decision. Haru wriggled beneath Rin.

'It's dark,' he rebuffed. 'And there's no windows-'

'Yeah: I want the basement- from now on, that room is mine. So, you can't go down there… do you understand?'

'...Yeah.'

'I mean it- this is important! Tell me you're not gonna go in there!'

'…I won't.'

Rin leaned down ever-so-slightly and his lips landed on Haru's. His tongue instantly glided past Haru's teeth and thrust against Haru's own. Warmth begun to pool in Haru's hips, burning as it worked downwards, the other man sucking hungrily on his lower lip…

Then Rin shifted back on the bed, lifting away.

'I appreciate it,' he hummed. He flicked Haru fondly on the nose. 'Now,' he decided. 'I'm going out. See you again tomorrow evening.'

'Yeah,' Haru echoed, disappointed.

_...Tomorrow._

* * *

That night, Haru found it difficult to sleep- his mind kept wandering back to Rin. The earlier hours played out like moving pictures across his brain: last night Rin had taken him in the bed where he now lay, and a few hours back they'd shared a kiss atop it, hand in hand.

As he turned over, Haru was beginning to feel frustrated; his lower regions had started to _ache._ He slipped a hand underneath the sheets and touched himself experimentally to find out what was going on.

He was hard: he'd gotten hard thinking about Rin. Haru could have stroked himself to take care of it, but that wasn't what his body wanted: he wanted to have Rin. Rin was a living, breathing bundle of restless, erotic energy, and the only things keeping him away from Haru were several doors and a staircase. Haru found himself climbing out of bed and feeling his way down the stairs, slipping silently through the darkness.

He'd promised Rin not to go down into the basement, although he didn't understand why Rin had made such a demand; as far as Haru was concerned, Rin was deliberately separating them to be aggravating. Knowing Rin, Haru was expecting him to be waiting with his legs spread atop his futon- laughing and gloating as Haru appeared in the doorway- announcing that he'd been expecting Haru. So naturally, what Haru did find when he opened the basement door shocked him.

There was a smell... it hung stagnant in the air, but Haru didn't pick up on it immediately. He reached across to hit the lights, and the room was illuminated with a soft click. Later, he'd wish that he never had- the image he saw would stay with him to his grave.

There were two bodies of humans in his basement, and the writhing of one of them indicated that it was still alive, but its chest had been opened, and it was beyond help. Its throat and stomach had been torn apart, exposing a bloody mess of leaking organs and tangles of intestines that dripped over its legs, pooling onto the second body which lay rotting beneath it; the second lay with its mouth hanging open, saliva visibly pooled in foam and bubbles around its throat and tongue. Blood had spilled in torrents, sliding around chunks of ripped flesh, covering the dusty floorboards like a blanket. And there was a sound... resembling chewing... coming from the far side of the room.

'Haruka,' a low voice rasped. 'I told you not to come down here.'

Sitting quietly amidst of the horror, shirtless among the dead bodies, was Rin.

* * *

Haru didn't know what to do, so he ran. He barely made it halfway across the hall when a strong, bloodied hand grabbed his arm from behind-

'Haru... I can explain this-'

'_How can you_-'

Haru lost the ability to speak when his chest seized, his lungs rejecting the air that rushed too quickly- far too quickly- down his throat. Nausea pervaded him in a wave, the thought skittering faintly across his mind that he was about to throw up... then it happened. The rotten stench of exposed human organs followed Rin out of the door and seemed to swallow Haru's senses like a thick, unwelcome cloak, causing him to be sick across the floor. Rin crouched down beside him.

'Hey... how are you feeling?'

'...How do you _think?'_

Rin tried to place a hand on Haru's shoulder, but Haru shoved it away and staggered to his feet. With every touch that Rin gave him, he was smearing other people's blood from his hands all over Haru's clothes and skin- Haru never wanted to touch Rin again.

He'd felt gratified that Rin had returned, because when Rin had left for Australia, Haru had felt as if a part of himself had gone away with Rin, too- leaving him alone, feeling absent and incomplete. He'd wanted to see Rin again, but now Rin was before him- covered in blood- and the mere sight of him made Haru feel dizzy. He wanted to be sick again, but there was nothing left in his stomach to throw up. Bile and cilia rose in his throat as the very air which Haru breathed threatened to suffocate him.

'Why?' he demanded. 'Why did you-'

Haru wanted to run and never look back, but his legs wouldn't obey his orders and his limbs had begun to feel like water. His body had obviously experienced enough, caved into shock and given up, because the edges of his vision had begun to grow white. As Rin pulled Haru close, he shivered. Rin smoothed his fingers through his thick, dark hair... Haru hated how gently it was that Rin held him.

'It's okay, Haru... it's alright.'

Blood passed from Rin and stained the front of Haru's night shirt as he was embraced. There were people- _human beings_\- bleeding to death in his basement... Rin muffled Haru's choked gasps with his shoulder, his fingers stroking Haru's hair. Throughout it all, Rin's touches held a soothing quality... it was only through weakness he liked it, Haru thought, but he did like the way that Rin's arms held him- so strongly and securely moments after hauling corpses- so tightly when his own legs had ultimately failed. Haru had entered a state of panic so violent that it made him desperate for comfort: even if it came from a murderer.

Rin brought his blood-stained lips to Haru's trembling ones, and gave him a slow, passionate kiss. Haru had experienced enough by this point and wanted to faint, but an annoying, persistent shard of consciousness was still clinging to him, refusing to let him pass out.

'Haru.' Rin whispered, as he pulled back. 'I have something to show you. Look at me.'

'Idonwantto...'

'Haru, look at my face.'

Rin tiled Haru's chin with a finger, forcing Haru to look upright. Haru wanted to close his eyes, but the thought came to him too late.

Rin's eyes glowed a vivid crimson, and his irises gave the impression of swirling with blood. His lips parted and when he opened his mouth, Haru saw two sharp, pointy incisors slip out from the top row of Rin's teeth...

Then Haru did lose consciousness; his body crumpled.

* * *

When Haru came to, he was in a kitchen chair, breathing slowly and heavily with a cold cloth placed on his forehead. He couldn't have been out long- maybe ten minutes- if the pins and needles in his arms were any indication. He was freezing but sweating, his vision swaying. Rin had cleaned all the blood from his body and crouched before Haru in a pair of black boxers.

'Haru. Are you okay?'

'I'm in shock.'

'Good- that means you're acknowledging what you saw.'

Rin placed his hands on Haru's shoulders.

'Stay with me, Haru. Are you here?'

'I… yeah.'

'Don't pass out on me again. Look at me clearly this time... say my name.'

'Rin.'

'Say it again.'

'Rin...'

The name was like a mental anchor- every time Haru said it, he felt stronger in himself.

'Rin...'

'Yeah: I'm here with you, Haru.'

Haru gripped Rin's shoulders for support.

'There are dead people in my basement...' he mumbled. 'If someone finds out...'

'I'll take care of it; don't worry. Haru, you're pale.' Rin laughed softly. 'Hey, I haven't scared you, have I?'

'Why would you think that?'

Rin hummed to himself.

'So, that was sarcasm, huh? You're coming around- I've got you, Haru.'

Haru knew: that was what he was worried about.

'_Honestly_,' Rin heaved a sigh. 'This isn't how I wanted you to find out. I tell you not to go in the basement, and what's the first thing that you decide to do? So much for breaking it to you lightly...'

'What are you?' Haru asked tiredly. 'Rin… why-'

'Because I'm a vampire.'

This was an undeniably big revelation, but Haru felt too exhausted to work up a reaction. He gave no expressions of disbelief, nor astonishment- just a simple, almost inaudible expel of breath. In a way, it was a relief to hear: if it were true, then it would mean that the deaths of the people in his basement were- to some extent- necessary for Rin. They hadn't just been random slashings, or the result of some twisted urge... Rin had been forced to kill other humans because he needed their blood in order to stay alive. That didn't make it acceptable, of course, but still... somehow, it provided Haru with some solace. He supposed that was why he accepted it so easily: because, subconsciously, he wanted to forgive Rin. He wanted to find an excuse for what Rin had done.

'Well,' Rin frowned. 'That's not exactly true. I'm different to vampires but a little the same... we'll talk more about it later. For now, I think you should go and lie down.'

Haru hadn't listened to the last part of Rin's sentence- all he'd gotten from their ten minutes together were the words: 'I'm a vampire, we'll talk about it later,' and that annoyed him. Still, he was surprised by how calm he was being. Perhaps his passiveness was a way of protecting his sanity... either way, he was taking it well.

Haru thought back to the bodies in his basement. There had been two- which Haru had glimpsed- and one of them had been wriggling, which meant it was still alive. The better part of Haru wanted to call an ambulance and save that person, but the more logical part of him knew that would be unfavourable. Their stomach had been opened and their body was horribly mutilated- even if the person did manage to be saved, they wouldn't have much of a life ahead of them. Not to mention that if they lived, they would tell someone about Rin. And Haru, too: the bodies were in _his_ basement. The blame would fall on both of their shoulders... he was in the same position as Rin, now.

'When you climbed in bed with me the other night...'

'Yeah, you guessed it: I was thinking about biting you.'

Haru turned away and felt a stab of... something. Relief to be alive? Frustration toward Rin? Toward himself for letting Rin in? He couldn't place it.

Rin dropped into a kitchen chair opposite Haru, but obviously didn't find sitting like a normal person fulfilling enough because he quickly decided that he'd be more comfortable hanging from the chair with his head on the floor so that he could stare at Haru from upside down. He grinned.

'Now that you're awake, I require a kiss.'

'No.'

'No?'

'You were going to kill me, but you didn't because you wanted to have sex instead.' Haru explained, turning away from Rin. _Why would I be with someone like that..?_

'I wasn't going to _kill_ you. Haru, I just wanted to give you a tiny, tiny bite.'

'It boils down to the same thing and you know it.' Haru continued to ignore him through annoyance.

'Are you mad at me?' Rin frowned. 'Haru, I came back to see you... this was the first place I went after coming back to Iwatobi. I missed you- I couldn't stop thinking about you. Doesn't that count for something between us?'

Haru didn't want to hear about how much Rin had missed him, because he had no true method of measuring how genuine his words were; he didn't know any of Rin's intentions. Rin walked around wearing a slanted smile, with blood covered hands and told Haru that he loved him- it was difficult to distinguish his motives.

Still, there was something bothering Haru-

'Why didn't you bite me?'

'Cause you'd die if I did,' Rin scowled, morose. 'Haru, if biting you would make you like me, then I'd have done it in your sleep by now. Unfortunately,' he slid up on the chair. 'I don't know how this condition works. I've done some experimenting but it's all the same: all the people who I've bitten bled to death through their holes and passed away; none of them resurrected. I don't know if it's random, or every one in a hundred- I honestly have no idea. And the weirdest part is,' he heaved a sigh. 'I don't remember how it happened to me, either. Long story short, I didn't bite you because I wanted you to stay alive because… and I've decided: I want to be with you.'

Rin had crawled up from the chair, climbed over to Haru and begun stroking his face. Haru caught Rin's wrists, frustratedly.

'Why did you come here? Don't say: 'it's because I love you.'

'I do love you.'

'You can't know that,' Haru protested. 'It's been five years-'

'No...' Rin shook his head. 'I remember... Haru. We were just kids when we met, but we were compatible... at least, that's how I've always felt- I don't know if it was the same for you. I was always half serious and half messing around... but even then- at eleven years old- I think I realised you were going to be a part of my future. That no matter what happened, you and I would always enter the same world…'

Rin pressed his forehead against Haru's.

'I'm the same, Haru,' he whispered. 'I'm the same.'

He aligned their lips in a tentative kiss.

'We'll talk about this tomorrow. You're too tired now... let me take you back to bed.'

To Haru, Rin was a murderer with no regard for human life... but he was also providing Haru with comfort, and in that moment, there was nothing else Haru needed. The warmth and tenderness of Rin's mouth was inviting because he _needed_ an escape... he needed something to take him away from everything he'd seen and heard that night. The way Rin touched him made his body ignite. _No, _became _I don't know_, then _yes, YES_...

He didn't want to be with someone like Rin...

* * *

...so why was Haru lying naked on top of him, his bed sheets soaked with sweat from where the two of them had spent the night?

'_Rin.._.' Haru breathed. 'I can't-'

'Haru.' Rin brushed a strand of hair behind Haru's ears. 'Look at my face...'

'Rin...'

As Rin hissed in pleasure, Haru could clearly see his fangs. They could come in and out as Rin liked and now scraped against Haru's palm- not digging into his skin- but scraping softly as Rin kissed his hand, slipping Haru's fingers into his mouth and sucking. Haru rode Rin gently, shuddering with lust as Rin's hips rocked him back and forth.

Haru felt as if he were trapped in a surreal dream that was running itself: there were bodies downstairs and droplets of bloody water in the bathroom drain where Rin had showered to clean himself, and Rin had fangs and was wrapping his arms around Haru, who was pressing his opening on top of Rin... who was joining with Rin- riding him feverishly- the room was spinning as his lungs _burned_.. everything was whirling, macabre and _pleasurably obscure-_

'I want to bite you so badly.' Rin laughed. 'But I don't want to kill you. I don't want to risk the chance of losing you... Haru...'

Haru gasped.

'Can we talk about this... later?'

His fingers entwined with Rin's. Haru's breathing was erratic, but he felt so comfortable... he could feel Rin cum inside of his body-

Haru didn't see Rin as a monster or something to be frightened of: he saw Rin as Rin... his Rin. The same Rin who he used to swim alongside in a relay, the same Rin he'd shared a pillow with as a child and the same Rin he'd walked along the beach with five years ago- soaking their feet in the overlapping waves, fiercely competitive as they tried to push each other into the sea. Even if he was covered in blood- even if he lay among a carnage of bodies- he was still the same as before. And that was why Haru couldn't be afraid of him.

It didn't matter what happened to Rin, because Rin was still Rin... wasn't he?

Haru closed his eyes and fell asleep, holding onto that thought.

* * *

'The bodies in the basement...'

'Seriously... we're gonna talk about this _now_?'

'Yeah. Now.'

Haru had slept surprisingly well and taken a bath with Rin the next morning. The blinds were pulled down tightly so that shafts of sunlight didn't come through, but Rin was still visibly tense at the concept of being awake during daylight. Haru scrubbed the blood from Rin's hair that hadn't come out in the shower and gotten stuck, prising apart individual strands between the bubbles and foam.

He'd climbed into the bath behind Rin, not trusting Rin with his bare back. Surely enough at the front, Rin had begun to grow restless- occasionally he'd snake a hand backwards to try and grasp Haru's leg, feeling his way along Haru's bare thigh underneath the bathwater- his fingers like spiders legs as they crept. Haru would splash him whenever this happened: Rin didn't like being splashed. He was no different to a grumpy cat: cruel in the way that it tortured and played with mice, yet still very loveable... even if he made it difficult.

'I need to eat.' Rin exhaled. 'You don't expect me to die, do you, Haru? I was hungry last night so I went out and got something.'

'Vampires drink blood. The person I saw had his stomach ripped open. ...He was missing organs.'

'I don't just drink blood,' Rin looked away. 'Blood isn't enough for me- it's kind of like orange juice for you. It's sweet and delicious but I can't live from it- I need human meat to run properly.'

'Animals?'

'Animal bodies are too weak- they're not enough to satisfy me. I can taste them, but they don't give me the energy I want- it's the same with regular food.'

'You eat organs?' Haru questioned.

'Yeah- I eat everything but the skeleton and hair. Hair is disgusting.' Rin lay back against Haru's collar bone. 'One adult male can keep me full for about three weeks but I think it depends on how much energy I use. My favourite part of a person is the heart- it's chewy and delicious.'

Rin ate hearts to stay alive... Haru couldn't help but find that somewhat ironic. He rubbed gel into Rin's shoulders, smoothing his red locks away from his face. Rin drew his legs up and slid down onto Haru's lap to wash the shampoo from his hair in the bath water.

'I won't ever eat you, Haru,' Rin assured, with affection. 'If that's what you're worried about.'

'Why not?' he asked. 'It's a trigger.'

'No: my hunger instincts are the same as yours.'

When Haru didn't reply, Rin continued-

'Listen, I don't look at you and think: 'mmn, that looks delicious,' in the same way you wouldn't look at a living cow and think: 'I'd love to take a bite out of that.'

'You just compared me to a cow...' Haru murmured. Rin leaned up and kissed Haru's face.

'Sorry,' he hummed. 'It was a metaphor. People don't look tasty until their insides are exposed, and even then it's not like I can't control it. I eat because if I don't, I'd starve to death- it's as simple as that.'

'How do you digest it?'

'My body changed- I didn't die and my immune system didn't stop; it just became impeccable- every part of me improved. My CNS is still up and running too, so even though I heal almost instantly, I can still feel pain. I'm alive, Haru- feel for yourself.'

Rin took Haru's hand in his own and placed it carefully over his heart. Through the palm of his hand, Haru could feel a slow beat: the steady rhythm of blood as it thumped. As well as that, Rin's hand was warm and familiar against Haru's own... Haru could feel Rin's lungs as they rose and fell, could see the flush on Rin's cheeks from the heat of the bathwater- all of these things were evidence of life.

'People are meant to die when they get bitten by vampires,' Haru said, pulling back his hand.

'Well, excuse me for not being standard vampire procedure..' Rin murmured. 'And what do you mean: 'meant to die?' Are vampire attacks a regular occurrence?'

'Not really.'

'Have you ever been bitten by a vampire?'

'Not really.'

'Then shut up.' Rin pinched his nipple. 'Know. It. All.'

Haru closed his eyes against Rin's shoulder, inhaling the steam of the bath water as he drew in a breath- only to have it escape him as a sigh. He wasn't sure if he was the one who needed comfort, or if he was the one comforting Rin... either way, it felt good to lie with him; when Haru was with Rin, the rest of the world just... slipped away.

'I'm glad, Haru,' Rin intoned softly.

'Glad?'

'Yeah- because I have you, and that means you belong to me. I thought that by the time I got back, you would have a girlfriend... I was worried I'd have to bite her and work my way back up to you, but it looks like I got stressed over nothing. You like other men... don't you?'

Relationships had never concerned Haru- he'd just felt Rin beside him, decided he liked what was happening and went with it.

'I don't know.'

Rin giggled. 'So, you're Rin-sexual?'

'Shut up,' Haru ordered. 'Or I'll splash you again. I don't know. …I'm curious.'

Rin nuzzled lovingly against Haru's cheek, rubbing his nose against the wet strands of Haru's hair.

'_Haruka_,' he purred, with a laugh. 'Curiosity can _kill_.'

Haru breathed in sharply as Rin kissed him, tightening his arms around Rin's back as the other man climbed on top of him, pushing Haru backwards to lie against the foam. Haru could skip school today, since Rin's lips felt _so good_... they seemed to kiss away all of his problems one by one, and take him to a better place. Haru didn't know what he was supposed to do- or if human was the right word- but Rin was still Rin... and that was enough. He'd find a way to get Rin through this, somehow.

Should hell or high water threaten to stand between them.


	3. Dismantled

**Luuka:** herein we have chapter two! Same warnings as written in the prelude, but I don't think this chapter actually uses any of them. (Next chapter makes up for it, thou.)

Again, it would be great if you could review!

* * *

'Haru?'

'Hmn?'

'I love you so much... so much. You'll make a vow to me, won't you?'

'A vow?'

'Yes: to be with me forever.'

* * *

The stars in the night's sky twinkled like silver gems on a velvet cloth. But a fog was coming: the stars were fading. Sinking into the depths of a black abyss...

'Haru... will you give yourself to me?'

'I don't understand what you mean.'

'Exactly what I'm saying- I want you to be mine. I want you to_ let_ yourself be mine.'

Haru still didn't understand what Rin was talking about, but it was romantic. He'd taken Haru into the ocean to swim with him one Friday night and wrapped his arms around his waist as they floated in the water, whispering softly into Haru's ear.

In hindsight, Haru knew he shouldn't have agreed to something he didn't understand, but he'd assumed Rin was being melodramatic- to him, it seemed as if Rin was very dramatically asking him to be his boyfriend... so, he'd accepted.

'Yes,' he replied.

'I need forever. Can you give me that?'

'Yes.'

'And will you have me? Forever?'

'Yes.'

'Then you're mine,' Rin rasped back. 'Both your body and soul are mine.'

Haru shifted in Rin's arms- Rin's tongue was too close to his ear. Not that he minded, but they were outside and the water had suddenly started to feel chilly. Had the sea been this cold moments ago? Haru broke free and climbed onto a pier, body shivering as his bare skin met the crisp night air.

Rin bobbed up and down in the water, set his arms over the side of the wooden pier and smiled.

'Try not to break our vow together, okay? I'll be with you always... my Haruka.'

* * *

Over the weekend, Haru became accustomed to living with Rin: a fact that surprised even himself. Having lived alone for the best part of his life- and having always considered himself a person who valued their own solitude- Haru found it strange that he should feel so comfortable with Rin's constant presence. But the truth was Haru liked Rin: he liked everything Rin had to offer. He liked discovering Rin's personality, liked the way Rin's emotions displayed so obviously on his face and liked talking and being with Rin, which was why he'd spent his Sunday morning curled up with the other young man in his bed.

'You can't be a real vampire.' Haru told Rin. 'You don't have a Transylvanian accent.'

'I'm pretty sure that's not a requirement of being a vampire.'

'Is.'

'It _isn't!'_

'I'll fight you over it.'

Haru climbed on top of Rin and pinned him down against the mattress. Rin laughed excitedly as he allowed Haru to push him down with all his strength, bumping their noses together as they wrestled.

'As slender as you are?' Rin smirked. 'Bring it on!'

'I know your weak spot. I can grab your pants.'

'How tactical.'

'I have other ways.'

'I'm sure you do.'

Rin rolled Haru onto his side, leaning across to bite him gently on his nose.

'Rin,' Haru begun, softly. 'Did you turn into a bat and fly back from Australia?'

'No: I took an aeroplane.'

'Normal,' Haru mumbled.

'As if I had any other options. You should know that I can't turn into a bat... nor any other animal that I'm aware of.'

'What else can you do?'

Rin begun to count. 'Hmm... you mean other than: healing practically as soon as I get a wound, having more stamina, a stronger body, a better capacity for memory, sharper teeth, being able to move faster, improved senses... _oh, _and did I mention that I never age? Well... there is another thing: it's kind of similar to a sixth sense.'

'ESP?'

Rin shook his head.

'Hah… it's nothing as exciting as mind reading. I can feel people's emotions... it's kinda like hyper-sensitivity. For example, Haru, your emotions are bouncing up and down and that means you're happy; even though you only look relaxed, I can pick up what you feel through the air. I think it's because my senses are more developed so they can pick up changes in body heat and perspiration... that's my theory, anyway.'

'It's weird.'

Rin poked Haru's cheek with a finger.

'I don't expect a mere mortal like you to understand the mechanisms of higher beings,' he announced.

'How can you say that?' Haru muttered. 'Rin, you don't even understand it yourself...'

Rin's eyelids kept drooping, but he was trying hard to keep himself awake: both of these things made Haru sigh. It was almost midday, and Rin didn't usually stay awake until then... Rin yawned, the duvet rustling around him.

'You should rest,' Haru offered. 'See you tonight.'

Too late: Rin had already fallen asleep.

* * *

That morning, Rin had also told Haru he'd been announced missing in Australia- he'd explained that it was just easier to disappear than it was to confront his family about what had happened to him. He'd said that his mother wouldn't be the type to accept him, and that it would only bring problems to his sister, which was why he'd made the choice to leave them both behind... then he'd added, unhappily: 'I miss my sister,' as an afterthought.

Haru had felt a twinge of sympathy for Rin at that point: he didn't know if Rin was a villain or victim. On one side of the argument, Rin hadn't asked to be bitten by a vampire, but on the other side, he hadn't exactly shown a lot of remorse for all the people he'd killed, either- at least, not outwardly, anyway. Still, Haru had found his words interesting:

'Do Matsuoka's turn into vampires at seventeen?'

'No.'

'Do they have a history of drinking blood?'

'No.'

'...Do you know who bit you?'

'No.'

They hadn't learned anything new about Rin's situation, but Haru knew more about Rin as an individual- somehow, that was progressive.

Even if part of him did suspect that somewhere, Rin had told him a lie.

* * *

At seven p.m., Haru was cooking in the kitchen when he heard the soft pitter-patter of feet as Rin came downstairs. For how muscled and heavy he was, Rin certainly had a way of carrying his weight- he could slip around noiselessly, and creep up behind Haru without so much as a warning. Sort of like what he was doing, now.

'What's this?' He asked, slipping a hand under Haru's jumper.

'Breakfast.'

Rin looked up over Haru's shoulder at the spread of food on the countertop, cocking his head ninety degrees as if he didn't understand.

'Try it.' Haru ordered. 'Just eat with me.'

'You could always come and eat with _me_, Haru.'

Haru ignored the teasing. He continued to serve the food, searching Rin's face for any signs of approval.

'Is it doing anything to your hunger?'

Rin swallowed a mouthful then shook his head.

'It's gone down by maybe a fraction of an inch... to be honest, I could probably get more nutrients from the air than this whole table. But I still have my sense of taste- your cooking is pretty good.'

Haru glanced down at his own untouched food: he needed to discuss something with Rin, and he doubted the other man would take it very well.

'Rin... you can't eat humans. From now on, you shouldn't kill anyone else.'

'Haru,' Rin's expression became instantly cold. 'You do realise what you're asking me to do? I've tried living on normal food before and it's _not enough- _it will be the same again.'

'You don't know that...' Haru remained insistent. 'You can't kill any more people. If one person goes missing, it's enough to attract national attention. So, several people, on a regular basis...' Haru knew it wouldn't be very long before the police made a link and came to them. 'It's wrong,' he finished.

'Humans kill each other all of the time for stupid and pointless reasons, but when I do it to stay alive then you find that: 'wrong?' Haru... you're asking me to die.'

'I'm not,' Haru replied stubbornly. 'There has to be a way around it. Animal meat is close to human, so… if I buy you enough-'

Rin gave a resigned sigh.

'Me or other people,' he said, gritting his teeth. 'That's what this comes down to. I'll try it again if that's what you want, but I can promise you that nothing is going to change. Oh, well.' He poked an egg yolk. 'I guess it will give you some time. You can think about how much you love me now I'm like this... if at all.'

Haru looked to one side.

He wanted to do what was right, but the word 'right' was hard to define. There was a: 'what was right for Rin' and: 'what was right for society' and: 'what was right by moral standards' and: 'what was right for Haru...' but all of them were so vague- so difficult just to pinpoint.

'I'm taking a bath.'

He was running away- running away from the idea that Rin had presented to him, because it was too difficult to think about; because Haru wasn't sure just _how_ to approach it. Stress was accumulating one grain at a time. As he climbed into the bathtub, he tried to clear his head and think about the way he felt.

Haru was in a limbo. He didn't want to be surrounded by dead bodies but didn't want to leave Rin, either- he loved Rin too much to let him go, and too much to turn him away and leave him on his own. To him, Rin was a precious person... he'd been the first person to come close to Haru emotionally- he'd been the first person to get through Haru's personal barriers, to penetrate them with motivation and ambition.

Now, Rin was the one who was alone: Rin was the one who needed someone to understand him. And Haru had decided that he was going to stay with Rin and fix what had happened to him. If he couldn't fix Rin, well...

Haru stared at his toes in the water.

He supposed he'd hold Rin's hand as they fell down together, into the pits of Hell itself.

* * *

The first week of Rin's new diet plan passed smoothly, but that was only to be expected; Rin still had two bodies in the basement. Although Rin had claimed that the body of an adult male could keep him full for around three weeks, he was presented with a new problem: humans didn't keep well after they died. The smell had managed to rise up from the basement door and get past the air-fresheners in the hallway, and- as he'd told Haru several times before- Rin couldn't eat dead bodies that were rotten.

They'd put some organs in clingfilm and moved them to Haru's freezer but the rationing was clearly affecting Rin: during his first few days on animal meat alone, Rin's behaviour changed for the worst. He'd become restless and frustrated- demanding and easy to aggravate- and did everything in his power in order to make sure that Haru was aware of every second of his discomfort. Want, want, want- all Rin seemed to do was want. He wanted to be entertained, he wanted to find something to eat and wanted Haru's attention- Haru's _constant_ attention. His emotions were either extreme or non-existent: Rin got angry at everything and nothing, upset at unimportant things but couldn't care less about others. He never put a hand on Haru, but the rest of the house suffered for it: he'd knock over coffee tables and chairs without obvious reasons why, kick doors closed and throw things across the room, hang from the furniture and growl when Haru ignored him. Other times, he wouldn't speak for hours. He was... difficult, to stay the least.

Haru found Rin irritating, yet he could understand it- Rin had told Haru that 3kg of animal meat gave him the same amount of energy as a handful of rye would for Haru. Day by day, Rin would become more demanding: the best- or perhaps, worst- example of this begun on the Sunday night of Rin's first week without human meat, and would be the start of a chain of events that Haru would regret allowing to get out of hand.

* * *

'Rin.'

It was six o'clock when Haru found Rin alone in the living room. Haru was wearing a waterproof coat and a rucksack.

'I'm going out,' he explained. 'Nagisa and Makoto... we're going night-fishing together.'

No response. Rin was sitting on his own, ignoring Haru.

'I'm leaving.'

Haru had barely finished turning around before two, strong arms locked around his stomach.

'You're not going,' Rin told Haru, sternly. 'Haru… you're staying here with me.'

Haru had anticipated this: he'd known there would be some level of resistance, but he was ready to combat it.

'No,' Haru objected. 'It isn't up to you. If you want, you're invited, too-'

'No- I don't want to be around anyone but you. Haru, you should feel the same way... you don't need any of your friends now that you have me to be with you. I want you to forget about them; you never need to speak to either one of them again.'

Rin had begun sucking on Haru's earlobe, his palms roaming Haru's chest and thighs through his coat. Haru didn't know if Rin thought that what he was saying was romantic- or if he was speaking out of spite- but Rin's words weren't resonating with Haru: on the contrary, they were pushing him away.

Haru didn't like the direction in which Rin was steering their conversation- this was a direct attempt from Rin to control him, and Haru knew that if he gave in here it would open the floodgates to Rin's demands in the future.

'Why can't I be in a relationship with you and have friends?'

'Because they'd only get in the way. Haru, I'm here with you, so you don't _need _them anymore. You have no use for third and fourth wheels-'

'How can you talk about them like that? Rin, Nagisa and Makoto are your friends, too.'

When Haru forcibly pulled himself away, Rin slitted his eyes.

'You were all that ever mattered to me, Haru- you were the only one who I ever cared about! I thought it was the same for you, but obviously I was mistaken.'

'Don't start.' Haru muttered. 'I'm not losing my friends because you say. There are people in my life other than you, so don't try to push them out.'

Rin's lips curled- enough to let Haru see his fangs- but Haru didn't falter; he knew that he'd annoyed Rin, but he didn't care. He got to the door when Rin spoke up:

'I'm coming.'

'_What_?'

'Haru, I want to see the others.'

* * *

Haru didn't buy that Rin was interested in seeing Nagisa and Makoto, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to bring him along; Haru didn't want another disagreement. The worst thing Rin could do would be to close down and ignore everyone... at least, that was what Haru had thought.

For an autumn evening it was surprisingly dim- dark enough for Rin to feel comfortable but at the same time, light enough for Haru to see. What little light remained was slowly dying- fading away into the blackness that ebbed at it- staining Iwatobi with shadows. Nagisa and Makoto stood waiting on a patch of grass located five minutes away from Haru's house... both of them were smiling and waving.

'Rin's back?' Makoto gasped.

'Rin-chan, it's so good to see you again!' Nagisa laughed.

Rin kept himself close to Haru, and regarded Nagisa and Makoto as though they were filthy. Haru had begun to regret bringing Rin along, but it was already too late to take him home now.

'Oh!' Nagisa noticed. 'Haru-chan and Rin-chan are holding hands!'

_Holding _hands was the wrong observation: Haru hadn't gotten any vote in the matter. Rin had suddenly gripped his hand and refused to let go, no matter how hard Haru tugged... Rin's grip was a lot firmer than his, so that Haru couldn't pull back without making a scene. Rin had become protective and was seeing threats in the smallest of things... he didn't seem to comprehend that Nagisa and Makoto were his friends, just like all those years ago.

'Aww, too bad.' Nagisa laughed. 'I guess that means Haru-chan is taken! Oh, well!' He winked playfully at Haru. 'You and Rin-chan are a really good match!'

Makoto smiled awkwardly, but Rin didn't seem to find Nagisa's teasing entertaining. Nagisa moved forward excitedly, but Rin stepped in front of him, suddenly-

'No!' Rin snarled. 'Haru is _mine_!'

Nagisa skidded to a halt; his face became a mask of confusion.

'Stop it,' Haru murmured, to Rin. 'You're embarrassing-'

'_Embarrassing_?' Rin yelled. 'Haru, no one else is allowed to touch you... nobody else is allowed to talk about you like that! You belong to me- you _gave_ yourself to me-'

'Heeeyyy,' Nagisa interrupted nervously. 'You guys, let's try not to fight... we should all just get along! Rin-chan, we're going fishing for a few hours... let's try and catch lots of big ones, okay?'

Rin turned away from Haru very slightly and did an analysis of Nagisa through his crimson eyes.

'Annoying.' He summarized under his breath. 'Haru, let's both go home: I feel like fucking you hard tonight.'

'_Rin_!' Haru felt his cheeks heat- Nagisa and Makoto were directly opposite them. He wasn't sure how much more of Rin's jealousy he could tolerate, or why Rin behaving this way to begin with... he knew that Rin was agitated due to how hungry he was, but he was very far away from sympathising with Rin, at this point.

'Unfortunately we won't be coming with you,' Rin informed Nagisa and Makoto. 'Haru is fed up with both of you. So, we're going home. Right now.'

Rin tried to drag Haru away, but Haru wretched his hand free-

'Rin,' he demanded. 'Go back alone-'

'It's okay, it's okay!' Makoto had clearly sensed an argument on the horizon and decided to intervene early. 'It's fine if the two of you can't come with us tonight- really, it's completely okay! Another time... let's go, Nagisa. See you at school on Monday, Haru.'

'Aww, too bad- I wanted everyone to come! See you later, Rin-chan, Haru-chan! Goodnight!'

Haru and Rin both trudged back to Haru's house together, enveloped by a heavy silence. When they got to the front door, Rin turned around to Haru and smiled.

'Well,' he laughed. 'That worked itself out in the end.'

Haru drew back a hand and slapped Rin across the face. For a split second, a pink handprint shone on Rin's cheek then- as quickly as it had appeared- it healed over, leaving behind no trace. Rin turned his head slightly at the contact, but not another muscle so much as twitched in his body.

'Rin,' Haru said, angrily. 'I won't let you control or humiliate me when you can't have what you want! I'm going upstairs- don't follow. I've had more of you than I can take.'

Then he went into the house, leaving Rin alone in the darkness.

Rin stood in the space where Haru had slapped him for several minutes... the same space where he'd first asked Haru if he could come in all those days ago, he recalled. After a few minutes, he saw Haru appear in the upstairs window and close the curtains, then the light behind them clicked off. Rin stared up at it even after Haru had left, raising a hand almost unconsciously to touch his cheek.

The impact mark of the slap had long healed over thanks to his superb cells, but it still seemed to sting there: for some reason, his cheek still tingled. Sparks of phantom pain were shooting across Rin's skin like a fierce, electrical current, brought about by Haru's touch...

'_I won't let you control or humiliate me... I've had more of you than I can take..._'

'I'm very upset to hear that, Haru.' Rin whispered. A thin smile crept across his lips.


	4. Melting Down

**Luuka:** Soo much editing went into this chapter! I also changed the title because the old one was temporary and lame- still not sure about this one, but as they say: whatevs.

This chapter leans into horror territory and there's a lot of dark 'body worship' (uh) and the mixing of blood between sex, which I guess is a sensitive issue- I'm marking it because you can never be safe enough.

* * *

It was still early when Haru climbed into bed on Sunday night- barely seven p.m.- but he couldn't manage to settle. Rin had been outside of his bedroom window, staring up at him again... Haru didn't know if he couldn't sleep because Rin had unnerved him, or because he still felt aggravated about the way Rin had behaved; either way, he was restless. He needed to pull himself together.

Haru felt as if he were in the dark with Rin- literally and metaphorically. He knew next to nothing about Rin's situation, and felt a degree of unfairness toward the way Rin approached their 'romance;' Rin had formulated his own idea of love and wanted Haru to mould around that concept. Rin's idea of togetherness came with a different degree of dedication: Rin needed Haru _now_ and _forever_, he needed Haru to love _Rin_ and _Rin alone_, and he needed their loyalty to be written in blood instead of ink. Haru did love Rin- with all of his heart- but he didn't want to be pushed around and live in fear of Rin's teeth for the rest of his life.

Haru had also slapped Rin that evening: he doubted Rin had taken_ that_ well. Not only was Rin hypersensitive, but he was also hyper_emotional_\- Haru knew that Rin would take a slap around the face with the same degree of seriousness as Haru plunging a knife into his stomach; Rin would see it as an admission of war against everything that he was. Haru ran his fingers through his fringe- he couldn't leave things the way they were. He climbed out of bed, poured himself a cup of tea and made his way to the living area.

Rin lay curled on the rug with his head resting against a pillow, playing with his hair. He showed no indication of noticing Haru, but would occasionally roll into a different position. Every so often, Haru would glare at him.

'Got a problem?' Rin asked, after five minutes.

'No.'

'You're glaring at me.'

'You're easy to glare at.'

Rin laughed.

'Something gives me the feeling that Haru-_ka _doesn't like me as deeply as I like him right now. Still mad about earlier?'

'Yeah.'

'Fine.'

'_Fine._'

Rin had obviously gotten bored with Haru because he walked off into a different room. Hardly five minutes passed, then he came back-

'Haru-kaaaa,' he nuzzled into Haru's neck, murmuring gently. 'How long are you gonna be like this? You're casting me away…'

'I'm not.'

'You are.'

'Not. You're the one who walked out of the room...'

Rin buried his nose in the back of Haru's shoulder, circling his arms around his waist.

'Haru,' he breathed. 'Apologise to me.'

'_What_?'

'I love you more than anyone else, so I'm going to give you a chance to say sorry. I want you to apologise for hitting me, and saying those cruel things about me earlier.'

Haru felt riled at this- Rin's behaviour had caused the disagreement between them, so Haru saw no incentive to take responsibility.

'You need to apologise to _me,_' he replied. 'I won't let you push me around.'

'That's a shame,' Rin swept Haru's hair behind his ears. 'Oh, well.' He kissed Haru's face. 'Don't blame me when you agonise.'

_Agonise?_

Haru's chest seized.

'If that's a threat...'

'It's not... I'd never hurt you, Haru: you know I'd never bring harm to your body. I'm going for a run. See you later.'

_'Rin-!'_

Haru barely registered the end of Rin's sentence before he heard the front door slam shut... Rin could move _fast _when he wanted. Haru stared down hard at the carpet in frustration, thoughts panning through his head. Rin had said he wouldn't hurt Haru, but he'd also told him: 'don't blame me when you agonise.' Did that mean he would hurt Haru indirectly? Make someone else hurt him?

_Rin wouldn't..._

Unthinkingly, Haru stood; the room had become _freezing._ It wasn't even eight p.m., yet Haru decided to give his bed another try; sleep was reluctant to come and when it did, it didn't last- The ringing of Haru's cell phone woke him before 3a.m., displaying an unknown caller on the screen.

'...Hello?'

'Um, excuse me... is this Haruka Nanase?'

It was a young woman on the other end of the phone- Haru didn't recognise her voice but judging from her exhausted tone, she hadn't gotten any sleep tonight, either.

'Excuse me for calling at such a terrible hour. I'm... I'm one of Nagisa's sisters. I got your number from my Mother- I hope you don't mind- I just had to ask... Nagisa isn't with you, is he?'

'Nagisa isn't home?'

Now Haru was wide awake. And cold- he felt so cold...

'N-no... I heard he went fishing with you and Tachibana but Tachibana's family hasn't heard from him, either. They live some distance away from each other, so after fishing they separated... Tachibana got home before eleven but Nagisa still hasn't come back yet. None of us can reach his phone... none of us have any idea where he is...'

Haru flung open his curtains and looked outside. Rin wasn't out there: of course. He took off down the stairs, calling out as he ran-

'RIN?'

Silence. Rin obviously wasn't in the house. Breathing heavily, Haru pulled out his phone, tapped in Rin's number and placed the speaker to his ear.

One ring... two rings... Rin obviously had taken his phone with him but deliberately chosen to ignore Haru's calls, because Haru couldn't hear Rin's phone ringing in the house. On the third call, he picked up.

'Third time lucky. Aren't you eager to reach me, my Haru?'

'Where's Nagisa?'

A soft laugh.

'Calm down. Haru, humans shouldn't be awake this time of night... you're going to give yourself heart palpitations-'

'If anything's happened to him... I won't forgive you...'

'Ohh, it's too late for that. Haru, you're not being very cooperative... Nagisa is still okay. You could save him- maybe. I don't know. But definitely not with that attitude.'

'I'm sorry,' Haru's jaw felt stiff. 'Rin... I'm sorry I hit you. I need to know where he is-'

'You know where the wind turbines are, right? Last time I saw Nagisa he was sleeping in a hedge, leaking blood all over the place... but I wouldn't go after him, if I were you.'

'Why?'

'Because,' Rin 's tone was serious. 'Haru, it's him or our relationship- only one of them can survive. Make a decision... oh, and hurry.'

The line clicked and the phone went dead.

_Why is he doing this?_

Anger coiled in Haru's stomach- he'd thought that he and Rin had connected with one another, then Rin had done something like this...

Haru instantly grabbed his keys, allowing the thoughts to dissipate. He had to focus on Nagisa- finding Nagisa alive.

* * *

Immediately after his conversation with Rin, Haru called an ambulance to the wind turbines and left on his own by foot. By the time he reached his destination, his face was pink from sprinting and his lungs felt as if they were going to collapse; it was pitch black and the hill was stained with shadows... just as Haru took out his phone to use it as a makeshift flashlight, the device vibrated with a text from Rin:

_'Haru. There's something you should know: Nagisa saw me attack him. If he survives, he's going to tell other people about me and this will be the end. There's a knife by Nagisa's body. If you really love me, you'll know what to do. All the best.'_

_Rin, you've lost it... you're crazy..._

Haru tore the bushes apart with his hands, until he found...

Nagisa was curled in a fetal position on the grass with his eyes closed, blood leaking from a slit in the base of his neck. His pink zip-up was stained with dark, sticky patches which Haru made out to be blood in the darkness... there was a flip up knife beside his body which Haru ignored. He dragged Nagisa to the centre of the hill and laid him down on his back before dropping to his knees, pressing an ear against the younger man's chest.

Breathing: Nagisa was still breathing and he had a pulse- it was faint but it was there. Haru didn't know anything about wounds other than the knowledge that he needed to stop the bleeding so he set his hands on Nagisa's neck to apply pressure. Blood slipped between Haru's fingers as he held his palms down, determined to keep Nagisa alive.

'It's okay,' he breathed. 'Nagisa...'

Nagisa was unconscious, but Haru felt the irrational need to speak to him. Nagisa was fading... dying in his arms... where was the ambulance?!

Sirens blazed as an ambulance and two police cars pulled up beside Haru, drowning him in red and blue light. Nagisa was laid down onto a gurney and wheeled into the back of the ambulance, its doors snapping shut before the vehicle drove away. Haru tried to tell the officers that he _needed_ to accompany Nagisa, but they didn't want to listen to him- it got to the point where Haru was handcuffed and forced by the back of his neck into a police car, driven away down the hill towards the local station.

'How did you know Hazuki's whereabouts?' One of the officers demanded, during an inquisition.

Haru had lied at this point: even after what had just happened, he wasn't about to tell the police about Rin.

'Nagisa's sister called me to say he was missing...' he looked away. 'I guessed he was on that hill. Nagisa has gone to the turbines to think since we were kids.'

The police seemed satisfied with this 'explanation' regarding Haru and Nagisa's history, as they allowed him to go- one of the female officers even offered to drive him to the hospital where Nagisa was being kept.

'It seems to have been an attempted mugging,' she explained to Haru, as they drove- 'if Hazuki does go that hill frequently to brood as you say, then he would have been in a very vulnerable position and easy to attack. We found a knife in the nearby bushes, although it doesn't appear to have been used on Hazuki... which means the weapon that made the wound in his neck was likely something else.'

Haru knew- Rin had used one of his teeth...

'Although,' the officer kept going. 'Something about Hazuki's situation doesn't add up. Clearly, the perpetrator was in possession of a knife yet they used something else to wound Hazuki... and the wound on Hazuki's neck wasn't immediately fatal- it more closely resembles a slit than a stab, and it's too precise to imply it was sudden or violent. It's almost as if they wanted him to be found... not to mention that nothing on Hazuki's personage appears to have been stolen...'

Haru looked down at his lap. Although the police appeared to be having a difficult time trying to wrap their head around what had happened, _he_ knew perfectly well what had transpired:

Instead of biting Nagisa's neck, Rin sunk one, fanged tooth into Nagisa's skin and dragged the point along so that the mark resembled a slash wound from a knife- a small town like Iwatobi neither had the equipment nor the money to look into the mark further. Rin had been clever: Rin had been _careful_. He'd chosen not to kill Nagisa deliberately...

But he'd left a knife by Nagisa's body and told Haru that between Nagisa and their relationship, only one of them could survive. And that message which Rin had sent him... '_if you really love me, you'll know what to do..._' had Rin blindly expected Haru to kill Nagisa, without any chance of rebuttal?

Haru shivered involuntarily, and the officer turned to him with soft eyes.

'It's awful what happened,' she said to Haru, gently. 'But try not to let it play on your mind. This is usually a very safe area- it's unfortunate that one of your friends happened to be involved in such an incident. Well, we've arrived...'

But the hospital receptionist wouldn't let him see Nagisa- she'd informed Haru that he was in the middle of surgery and only close family members were admitted attendance.

'It's a very precise wound,' a nurse explained. 'One of the boy's arteries were sliced in half... thankfully not a main one, although he's losing blood at an alarming rate. An operation is being held to close the gap as we speak and he'll need time to recover afterwards. It's better that you go home.'

But Haru didn't want to go home- he didn't want to leave Nagisa and he didn't want to face Rin, so he stayed in the waiting room. It had been 5a.m. when Haru arrived, and by 7a.m. he was asleep over the arm of one of the chairs, having stayed awake the previous night. When he woke up, he bought a bottle of water from a machine and waited- determined to see Nagisa alive- until, finally- at 7p.m.- Haru was allowed to go in and visit.

'Nagisa...'

Just looking at the younger man was enough to cause Haru pain. Nagisa was unconscious and had never seemed so fragile; his face was pallid and arms were bare, with two IV leads sticking out of each one. Nagisa's limbs were limp and his throat was covered in bandages- several other members of his family were crowded around him on plastic chairs, all wiping their eyes or gazing at Nagisa with faces clouded over by grief.

'He's going to be alright,' a nurse informed them all later. 'We've stopped the bleeding, so all he has to do is rest. He'll get better- young Mr. Hazuki will recover.'

Haru left the rest of Nagisa's family crying in happiness around his bedside- feeling as if he didn't belong- returned to his house and curled up in his bed. Rin was probably downstairs, but Haru didn't want to speak to him: he was too overwhelmed to argue. To empty to ask why.

_Agonise_... was this what Rin had meant?

Haru pulled his duvet over his head, closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come.

* * *

On the second night of Nagisa's hospitalisation, Haru went back to visit him. He'd chosen to go at night as to avoid crossing paths with Nagisa's family- whilst he didn't have anything against them, being around them made Haru feel uncomfortable.

Haru knew it was his fault Nagisa had been attacked: _he _had been the one to challenge Rin's temper and _he _had been the one to push Rin's boundaries, which why_ he_ had to ensure that Nagisa saw this through... he cared for Nagisa. If Nagisa died, his death would be Haru's fault.

He'd bought Nagisa some chocolate bread and strawberries as well as a get well soon card, which he placed atop Nagisa's bedside table. There was also a card from Makoto so Haru assumed he must have stopped in at some point, as well as several other brightly drawn ones from various classmates. Nagisa was popular. Nagisa was _loved._

Haru must have been sitting by Nagisa's bedside for around an hour when his phone displayed a call from Rin. He didn't want to speak to Rin, but knew it would only make things worse if he didn't; it was heavily he picked up the phone.

'...What?'

'I'm very concerned. Haru, I heard that Nagisa is close to waking up and you still haven't proven your dedication to me.'

'Dedication?'

'I stopped in earlier and left a present for you underneath Nagisa's bed. Go ahead and take it.'

Haru reached underneath the bed until his fingers grasped around the handle of... something. He grabbed the object and pulled, to discover that it was a meat knife.

'No,' Haru breathed. '_No.'_

'_Haru,_' Rin's voice remained calm. 'I have everything planned. Nagisa's room doesn't have cameras... isn't that just convenient? That's what you get in a small town clinic. I also signed you out at the register ten minutes ago, so you have an alibi for his time of death. The nurses make rounds every hour to check on the patients, which means you have...' Rin paused on the other end. 'Eleven minutes until they discover his corpse. Go ahead.' Rin's voice dropped to a whisper. 'Sacrifice Nagisa for us.'

'I won't.'

'The first one is always hard, but it gets easier after that. Take it from me: Haru, I_ know_. Just plunge the knife into his heart and Nagisa won't even know that he died. He won't feel anything. He'll just... slip away.'

'You're crazy.'

'This happened because of _you_!' Rin sounded restless. 'After what happened last night, I need proof of what you told me- Haru, I need proof that you're mine like you said! Me or other people: I've _told_ you to make a choice. Nagisa is expected to wake up before dawn and by then, he'll have told everyone who attacked him which means I'll have to go away. If he lives, I'm not safe in Iwatobi.'

'I won't kill my friend.'

'Then this is goodbye. I love you, Haru.'

'You don't have to go,' Haru's heartbeat became harder in desperation. 'Nagisa won't say anything... I'll make him understand-'

'Which one of us means more to you?' Rin murmured. 'Me or him?'

'It's you,' Haru replied, firmly. 'Rin... you know it's you, but I don't want to kill someone because I can! If he lives, I won't speak to Nagisa or Makoto-'

'You don't understand,' Rin mumbled. 'Haru, you don't understand- I'm doing all of this for_ you!_ I'm trying to make you understand that it's wrong for you to get attached to other people when they're just going to die and leave you behind! If you can't adapt to my lifestyle then I'll have to leave you, too. Will you kill Nagisa or won't you?'

'I...' the pounding of blood in Haru's body felt thick- he couldn't think. 'I'll do it.'

'You've got eight minutes until the nurse comes back to check on him. Haru, _hurry_.'

Haru looked down at his phone in one hand then up to Nagisa's bed. As he gripped the knives handle, his palms felt strangely numb... didn't he say that he'd hold Rin's hand through Hell? Didn't he say that throughout everything which happened to them both, he'd continue to protect Rin? Haru cared for Rin deeply, but how much blood was he willing to wade through to get to him- how far was he willing to go?

He took a breath and watched Nagisa.

_Nagisa, if you wake up, you'll tell the world about Rin. They'll take him away, cut him open and experiment on him and I can't allow that to happen. Rin said you won't feel anything... he said you won't know..._

Haru raised the knife over his shoulder-

_...I can't._

The knife fell out of his hands, clattering as it hit the floor.

'Haru... chan?' Nagisa stirred feebly.

'Nagisa...'

Nagisa's eyelids fluttered and he gave a weak smile; when he smiled, as happily as he did, Haru felt horrified with himself for what he'd been about to do. Then- as if remembering something-Nagisa's eyes glazed over and the blood drained from his face-

'Haru-chan,' Nagisa breathed. 'This is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me. The person who attacked me- I saw them- it was Rin... H-Haru-chan, he bit me on the neck-'

'Nagisa...' Haru begun. 'You can't tell anyone about Rin. If you do, they'll hurt him and I-' his voice broke away. 'He's our friend,' Haru finished firmly, when what he'd been about to say was:_ I love him_, although he knew that didn't justify all of the murders that Rin had committed. 'Please.' It wasn't Rin's fault he was the way he was.

'Rin-chan is a vampire, isn't he?'

The –chan was back on Rin's name again, Haru noticed. He nodded.

'Okay,' Nagisa reclined against the sheets. 'I'm not going to tell anyone. Say, Haru-chan... will I become a vampire, too?'

'No.' Haru answered, because Rin had said that wasn't how it worked. 'You'll get better.'

'I'm glad,' Nagisa paled significantly. 'Hey, Haru-chan... I really think I need some sleep. Will you bring Mako-chan and visit me again tomorrow?'

'Yeah. Tomorrow.'

Haru felt significantly lighter as he left the hospital- Nagisa was going to live. He was almost home when he received a text from Rin:

'Buy some chicken with your DEBIT CARD. Leave the RECEIPT in your wallet and don't throw it away. DO AS I SAY.'

The text made Haru immediately suspicious. He didn't understand why he had to buy chicken _now_ when they had enough in the freezer at home, but if Rin had made an effort to text then it was obviously important. Haru went to the nearest 24/7 and bought the chicken as instructed before going home and climbing into bed, burying himself between the covers and falling asleep.

* * *

Haru skipped school again the next day- he knew that his attendance was suffering, but he didn't care. One of his best friends had been hospitalised and Haru had promised to visit Nagisa again.

Makoto didn't go to school, either- when Haru got to the hospital, he was already in the waiting room. Crying: he was crying. Blood pounded thickly in Haru's ears as every pore on his skin turned to hard ice. Haru already knew what had happened before Makoto explained it to him.

Nagisa had died in the deeper hours of the night and his body was currently undergoing an autopsy. His bandages had 'come loose,' his bleeding had suddenly worsened and his heart had collapsed from shock due to the blood loss. He'd been confirmed both brain and cardiac dead. Nagisa was gone. He was never coming back.

Rin hadn't been there when Haru had gotten home that night- Haru knew how to put the pieces together. He'd failed to kill Nagisa, so Rin had finished the job. Rin had never been about to allow Nagisa to live: he'd even said as much himself, and Haru had been stupid to leave him unattended. No, Haru told the nurse- he didn't want to apply to go and see Nagisa's body. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be sick.

Haru felt strange and empty as he walked: as though he were floating- as though his feet weren't quite touching the ground.

_It wasn't my fault Nagisa died... was it?_

A happy face... always smiling... Nagisa had been the last person who'd deserved to get caught up in the mess that he and Rin had created, and the last person who deserved to die as a result. Even after being bitten by Rin, Nagisa had chosen to remain loyal to his friends... Haru's remorse quickly turned to frustration as he found himself running, breaking into a sprint.

There had been police at the hospital, too: police who had spoken with Makoto and Haru, asking them in-depth questions about their whereabouts. The chicken which Rin had asked Haru to buy that night had turned out to be Haru's alibi- naturally, the police suspected Haru since he went to the hospital to visit Nagisa and signed out under an hour before his death: although- due to the courtesy of to Rin's text- they had no evidence which they could use against him.

At 10:11p.m, Nagisa's bandages had 'come loose,' his wound had reopened and he'd died... however, at the same time- in a convenience store 45 minutes away- Haru had bought chicken with his debit card which required his own personal PIN; the store even had camera footage of him. Rin had constructed the perfect alibi for Haru.

Most of the officers had bought this easily regarding Nagisa and Haru's past and were sympathetic. Others, however, were far more cynical:

'How convenient,' one of them said, to Haru. 'That you _just happened_ to be out buying meat at the same time your school friend was killed... at 10p.m., on a school night.'

Haru explained that he'd bought something to cook for the next day on his way home from visiting Nagisa at the hospital. He didn't know if the officers believed this entirely- or why he was protecting Rin- but he'd been allowed to go after several hours. When he arrived home, he went straight to the basement-

'Why did you kill Nagisa?'

Rin was lying on his back atop his futon, sucking on a rib of pork. Despite everything which had transpired, Rin had kept his promise not to eat any more humans... not that Haru cared about that, now. The bones of the two people whom Rin had previously killed had been picked dry and were propped in a corner.

'Because.' Rin answered, tonelessly. 'Haru, you asked me to do it.'

'I _didn't_-'

'Haru, last night when I phoned you, I asked you to make a choice: I asked you to choose between Nagisa and me. You chose me: you _told _me that you chose me. So, I assumed you didn't have the guts to kill Nagisa and took the liberty of finishing him off myself.'

'You didn't have to do that,' Haru clenched his fists tightly. 'Nagisa said he wouldn't tell anyone-'

'Do you really believe that?' Rin snapped. He tossed the rib of pork aside and sat atop his futon, his eyes flashing dangerously as he spoke. 'Haru, are you willing to risk our entire relationship on the basis that Nagisa_ said_ he wouldn't tell anyone? I did this for us- to protect us! Why is that so hard for you to see?'

'We wouldn't need 'protecting' if you didn't bite Nagisa!' Haru responded, surprised to find he'd begun shouting. Haru hadn't killed Nagisa, and neither had Rin- the two of them had both murdered their childhood friend between them.

Rin didn't make any attempts to comfort Haru, and neither did he argue against what Haru had said. His face showed no signs of compassion: he simply watched, with an expression which resembled... indifference.

'Haru... this happened because of you.'

'_Me_?'

'Yeah, you failed: your loyalty to me failed, and that was why Nagisa had to die- these feelings of grief are your punishment. Haru, all I want is to have a relationship with you, but you insist on letting things get in the way and that's why you're getting hurt... you only have yourself to blame. I think you should punish yourself.' Rin slid a small knife across the floor. 'Haru, stab yourself in the leg- I'll take some of your blood for payment.'

'_What_?'

The words were terrifying- Rin grabbed Haru's arm, pulling him down onto the floor.

'Haru...' he smoothed a finger across Haru's face. 'You know, the kind of relationship we have won't survive if we can't trust one another… that's why I'm asking these things. If you gave yourself to me, you'd never have to feel loss or fear... I would make you so happy, Haru. But you don't want to be mine yet, do you? It doesn't matter- I love you. I always will.' He pressed the knife into Haru's palm. 'Now, show me how much you love me, too.'

Haru shook his head. There was a melodic- almost hypnotising- quality to Rin's voice that tried to lull him into obeying, but Haru didn't_ want_ to obey... he wasn't going to bleed. The knife slid from his lap as Haru sprung to his feet- he didn't even manage to stand before Rin pulled him back.

'_Haru_,' Rin laughed. 'You didn't try to run away just now, did you? You're not faster than me- you should know that better by now. I think you should stay here and do some thinking; I'll be back in the morning to let you out.'

'_No_-'

By the time Haru registered that Rin had let him go, Rin was nowhere in sight- he ran to the basement door and begun to pull on the handle. Locked: Rin had locked it from the other side. Haru thumped on the door with his fists, once, twice, five times... eight times but it was the same: the heavy wood refused to budge even an inch.

'RIN!' He called. 'Are you still there?'

Silence.

'Open the door! _Rin_...'

The basement was tiny- the size of a small bathroom- and close to pitch black without the light from the doorway, yet Haru could distinguish outlines, the musky, almost-burnt smell of decayed flesh hanging thick in the back of his throat. The white of the two skeletons seemed to shine in the darkness, and skin that had obviously decomposed before Rin had been presented with the chance to eat it lay discarded across the floor among streaks of dried blood; Haru pressed his eyes shut, determinedly banishing the images from pervading his brain. He could close his eyes but couldn't escape the smell: rotten, _putrid_\- it was getting stronger by the second. It was getting stronger. _It was. GeTTIng. StRonGeR-_

The enclosed room had begun to make Haru claustrophobic. It was closing in on him until he was convinced that the walls were trying to suffocate him in his own flesh; it had become hot- so _hot_, his breathing faint yet ragged as it became harder to draw in air. The skeletons were _staring_ at Haru and thinking about how much they missed their families, how scared they'd been when Rin had taken them- they blamed Haru for doing nothing about it and wanted to make Haru feel their pain, too. They wanted to scream at Haru, but didn't have the vocal chords or lungs to do it because Rin had eaten them. So, they screamed at him silently.

* * *

As Rin sat with his back against one of the hallway walls, he fidgeted. Haru had thumped on the door but Rin hadn't offered any response- it had taken every ounce of restraint in his being for him _not _to respond. Shutting Haru in there had plagued Rin with anxiety.

When Haru had called out his name, his voice had been close to pleading: his second-hand distress made Rin feel as if someone were dragging the point of a knife along Rin's arms and the back of his neck, peeling away his skin until he was raw, pinching every nerve in his body with long, sharpened fingernails- plucking at his resolve. His Haru was suffering:_ his _Haru felt distressed. _His _Haru didn't understand that Rin was putting him through this for his own good.

Rin loved Haru to the very recesses of his core, but he was afraid of so many things. He was afraid of losing Haru, afraid of scaring Haru away or of Haru changing his mind, afraid of someone else coming to try and take Haru away, and afraid, because- eventually- Haru would age and die. They couldn't stay in Iwatobi; Rin wanted to take Haru back to Australia and find out how to _preserve_ him, but he needed to make sure Haru was ready... he needed to make sure that Haru could endure their lifestyle impending. Rin wanted Haru to choose their eternity of his own accord and be certain, with no regret.

Physically, Haru was Rin's idea of perfect. He had slender muscles with powerful legs and a healthy body: the body of a swimmer. His slim face was emphasised by neat, dark hair, and his eyes were a clear blue- coloured like a spring river- with light points swimming in their depths, framed by thin, black lashes. His lips were very soft-looking, which made Rin want to bite them; all in all, Haru was very natural- Rin liked that: it was his favourite thing about Haru. Rin was careful to control himself so that when he became passionate he didn't mark Haru, because he felt very protective towards Haru's body. Haru had given himself to Rin, and it was Rin's job to treat him with care and respect.

There was silence now- a _deafening_ silence- which made Rin feel uneasy. What if Haru had fainted, or started taking out his fear on himself? He'd left no weapons in the room, but Rin could never be careful enough when it came to Haru's safety...

...An hour.

Just an hour, then he'd let Haru come out.

* * *

Haru felt as if he were going crazy- everything was _hot._ He'd buried himself in Rin's futon to try and build a closure between the basement and himself, to find that the bedding smelled like Rin; Rin didn't smell like anything in particular, but his own individual scent was familiar and Haru found that comforting. He turned his nose into the pillow to find that it was _hard_: a book had been buried inside the case. Haru took out his cell phone and used it as a makeshift light as he read.

Rin didn't have any personal possessions- he kept his clothes upstairs in the drawer with Haru's- and had come to Iwatobi empty-handed... or, so Haru had assumed. The item in Rin's pillowcase was a yearbook from the elementary school that the two of them had attended, and for a moment, Haru wondered if Rin had taken it from his shelf upstairs. Then he read the nametag inside:

Rin Matsuoka

_Rin brought this with him? A book with some photographs of when we were kids?_

It seemed out of place with its pink and blue cover in a room filled with dead bodies, but that was why Haru liked it; he sat in the bedding, absorbing himself within the photographs. They were... nostalgic... they depicted a world where everything was colourful- where he and Rin were happy, and didn't have to kill people... it was a better universe. For some reason, one of the photographs from where he and Rin had won a swimming relay together had been cut out of the book... just as Haru noticed this, he looked up to find Rin opposite him.

'Hey... how do you feel?'

The door was wide open but Haru knew better than to try and run: Rin could move faster than human perception and sickness made Haru sluggish.

'Let me out.'

'Very soon, my love. Very soon.'

'Sorry I hit you. ...Sorry I yelled at you-'

'Sssh.' Rin kissed Haru's neck and ears. 'Haru, this isn't about that.'

'I want to come out-'

'I know.'

_'Rin-'_

'Haru, sssh. You're repeating yourself.'

Had Rin pushed Haru too far? He stroked Haru's hair comfortingly.

'Haru, I didn't mean to scare you- I just wanted to try and make you understand. I worried about you the whole time and I'll make it up to you- I promise.'

Rin unzipped Haru's pants, causing Haru to make a noise.

'You're tense…' Rin rubbed his thumbs along Haru's ribcage. 'Haru, I feel everything you feel- I know you feel sick and tense. I know you're angry, but that you still love me... Haru, it's going to be okay: I'll make you feel good now.'

Rin lifted Haru's shirt and begun to thumb one of his nipples, his other hand massaging Haru's thighs and balls through the fabric of his pants. He kissed Haru's neck and lips, the hand at his crotch undoing the zip and reaching inside- Haru wriggled and resisted until eventually he gave in, shivering with pleasure and shutting his eyes, laying his head back against Rin's shoulder.

'Don't you feel better, now?'

Haru grasped the fabric of Rin's clothes, panting as Rin continued to move his hand up and down Haru's member, quickening his strokes in time with Haru's accelerating breathing. Haru shivered as his orgasm ripped through him and a jet of thick liquid shot up from his dick, across Rin's fingertips and onto the basement floor.

'See? That wasn't so bad. Haru, you came so much... taste.'

Rin tried to slip his fingertips into Haru's mouth but Haru refused to part his lips, so Rin licked Haru's sperm from his hands himself. He held Haru until he calmed down, waiting for the rise and falls of his chest to slow.

'Let me out,' Haru's voice was hoarse.

'No... not yet. Haru, there's just one more thing I need you to do for me.'

Rin dug a small knife out of his pocket and pressed it into Haru's palm.

'You'll trust me now, won't you?'

_Just a cut..._ Haru stared at the knife. _A cut will keep Rin happy, won't it? Rin isn't healthy: he's obsessed with me. But if Rin's crazy, aren't I the same?_

_Aren't I the same, for not being able to let him go?_

Haru didn't want to stab himself in the leg, but he didn't want to stay in the basement, either, so he squeezed his eyes shut in resolve, raised the knife and brought it down... then with the point a fraction of an inch from his thigh, Haru's hands were caught by Rin's.

'That's what happens when you put your trust in me. Haru, I told you I would always protect you, and you believed me this time: thank you.'

'You're insane.' Haru said, bitterly. 'Rin... you're crazy.'

'I love you.'

'...Stop it.'

'I love you, Haru.'

'Rin, _stop it_!

Rin stroked Haru's leg.

'I know you love me, too- you're still coming around. It will take time- I understand. Haru, it's okay... you can come out now, if you'd like.'

Haru didn't hesitate- he saw his chance and he took it. He staggered up from the basement floor and dashed out of the room, leaving without looking back.

* * *

An hour- just one hour. It had felt like forever, but he'd been in the basement for only sixty minutes; Haru didn't know what Rin had hoped to prove or achieve by locking him in a room with dead bodies but the experience had certainly done _something_\- Haru felt drained.

Rin had left him alone after letting him out: he'd given Haru his own private space, which Haru had chosen to spend lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Rin didn't come in or try to bother him and neither did he make any noise downstairs. It was quiet- Haru was alone with his duvet and his thoughts.

He hadn't called the police to tell them who'd killed Nagisa. A part of the reason 'why' was because Haru didn't think that going to the police would be worthwhile- he had nothing to prove his case. Rin had been declared missing in Australia four months ago, and- whilst it was true they did used to know one another- if Haru explained this to the authorities, it would simply seem as if he were shifting the blame, without actually indoctrinating a nearby person. To say that his childhood friend had come back to his house as a flesh eating-vampire and dragged corpses to his basement was unbelievable, in its best regard; if Haru tried to explain _that _to any officers, he'd be locked up in an asylum and they'd throw away the key. As well as that, Haru had now orgasmed in a room filled with corpses. His sperm was on the floorboards in the basement of _his_ house, mingled among the dried blood of two dead people- _that_ wouldn't go down well in an investigation. No: there was no way the police would be helpful, because there simply wasn't anything Haru could hold against Rin.

Yet even if Haru did hold a believable case, deep down, he knew that he wouldn't have told anyone what had happened to Nagisa, because he didn't want anyone to take Rin away. Presently, Haru was frustrated with Rin but he still loved him... despite everything. Haru felt ripped apart and confused: the right thing to do as a human being would be to leave Rin behind or order him away, but that wasn't what Haru _wanted_... he wanted to be with Rin.

He picked up his phone, scrolling to Makoto's number before he stopped. Had Rin killed Nagisa because he'd been jealous? Upset that Haru didn't accept him for what he was?

Haru set down the phone and thought.

He'd asked Rin to starve himself because he didn't like Rin eating dead bodies and, against his own nature, Rin had: even though he'd attacked Nagisa, he hadn't consumed any blood, keeping his promise to Haru. Rin was hungry and insecure, inundated by the belief that Haru couldn't see beyond what he'd become; he wanted evidence of Haru's commitment. That was the reason presiding his actions.

There were so many things about Rin that were ambiguous or didn't make sense, but thinking about them had brought Haru to a realization:

He didn't have to understand Rin in order to be with him.

* * *

'You're up... I thought you'd gone to sleep. Haru, are you hungry? I can make something.'

Haru said nothing- he didn't know what to say. After coming into the living room, he sat beside the low table.

'How do you feel?'

The question was spoken gently- even with a pang of regret. Rin made no moves to get up or touch Haru, but observed him from a safe distance. Worried- he seemed worried. Haru stood and undressed, walked over to Rin then climbed onto his lap, kissing him deeply on the lips. Rin closed his eyes, allowing Haru to run his fingers along his cheeks and ears. His own arms slipped around Haru's waist, holding him.

'Haru... what is it? You're feeling so many things... I _can't_-'

'I want you to hurt me,' Haru cut across. 'Can you hurt me?'

'...I can't.'

'I see,' Haru looked down. 'Then, I want to try something else- Rin, make me so numb with pleasure that I can't feel a thing.'

Rin swallowed.

'I might be able to do that.'

* * *

Haru wanted to feel pain- he was overcome by the urge to be hurt, because the idea of bleeding seemed attractive. He felt guilty for what had happened to Nagisa and wanted punishment... he wanted to suffer for what he'd done, whilst bringing pleasure to Rin. Blood was rushing to his head and his length was straining against Rin's thigh: he'd laid down naked on the floor of the living room, not bothering to go upstairs. Rin's red eyes shone with desire as he tore away his clothes and climbed down on top of Haru, using his body to press Haru against the floor.

'Haru... you're sure about this?'

Moist lips planted themselves on Haru's neck and sucked. Rin's incisors scraped Haru, digging gently into the surface of his neck, careful not to penetrate the skin. The way Rin licked his skin was tantalising... Haru felt a pulling sensation deep in his hips as a thin trickle of blood ran down his collarbone.

'Hey, Haru... can I taste you?'

'Yeah.'

Rin nursed the little scratches with his tongue, panting in exhilaration as he cleaned the streak of blood from Haru's neck. His tongue demanded access to Haru's mouth. Haru granted it. Happily.

As Haru licked and sucked on Rin's tongue, he could taste his own blood mixed in with Rin's saliva. Rin seemed to enjoy Haru's shivers, in the same way that Haru enjoyed allowing Rin to bring them to his lips; his body writhed underneath Rin's own, begging wordlessly for the other man to enter his body.

'Haru, wanna bite you more...'

Rin bit down on Haru's collar as he thrust into him, tearing a layer of the skin in his mouth as he entered Haru in one, sharp movement. Rin looked down and examined the marks: the flush on Haru's neck and chest was admirable, he thought. It looked as if red roses had blossomed on the white of his skin; _passionate_ roses that sprung up whenever Haru was bitten or kissed- Haru looked so perfect, in this way. Fit to be adored.

'Does it hurt?' Rin whispered, regretting how hard he'd dug in his teeth. He didn't want to mark Haru but upon Haru's permission, Rin had gotten excited... lost control-

'Yeah.'

But it was incredible, too: Haru loved the way his blood glistened as Rin's teeth pierced him like hot needles, biting the skin until it felt raw. It excited him-so much the tips of his fingers prickled. He gasped as he ran his hands down Rin's ribs, moaning softly as Rin's member hardened inside his muscles.

'How do I taste?' Haru asked. 'Do you like it?'

'Disgusting,' Rin laughed. 'I could never eat you, Haru. You'd better look for other ways to start showing your devotion...'

'_Yes_... uhh...'

Haru dug his nails into Rin's back, making pink and red streaks which instantly healed over. Deeper and deeper, Haru dug his nails... Rin whined and growled with every thrust in an effort to control himself, but Haru didn't want him to hold back- he wanted to arouse Rin's anger- he wanted to see what happened when Rin lost control. He wanted to be Rin's newest victim every night, the vessel of his anger, frustration and lust... because Rin's lust was a _bottomless _lust...

Rin's back arched in surprise, quickening his pace as he slammed into Haru, pounding him hard against the surface of the floorboards. Haru's body throbbed in exaltation, the heat he felt becoming _intensive- _Rin didn't just send sparks through him: he set Haru's whole body ablaze. Haru's legs quivered and his desire heightened as everything seemed to get hotter, sharper, faster and his heartbeat became erratic-

'_Haru,_' Rin rasped, through breaths. 'Cum for me-'

Haru tugged on his cock and felt his orgasm arrive, semen dripping out from the head- it's entire length quivering from Rin's thrusts. Rin came moments after with a hiss and set his head on Haru's shoulder, rubbing his damp hair against Haru's collarbone, slowly moving in and out to exhaust his orgasm. Blood and semen spilled over Haru's chest and slipped down in-between his thighs; Rin leaned in to give Haru a long, passionate kiss.

'Masochist,' Rin accused.

'Sadist,' Haru countered.

Rin grinned, his panting slowing.

_Rin is the sadist and I'm the masochist..._

Yeah.

Haru liked the way that sounded.

* * *

*****=it's not written because I couldn't fit it in, but you have to assume that when Rin went to kill Nagisa, he pocketed the meat knife Haru couldn't use and took it back with him so the police couldn't find it. (owo)


	5. Cremation

**Luuka:** Another long chapter done! the scariest thing about this story is the word count-I have to proofread dis thing.

* * *

Dizzy: Haru felt dizzy- everything was happening rapidly. The room was spinning as Rin slid out of his body, climbed up and stood before him naked, offering Haru a hand. Haru accepted it and pulled himself up, letting Rin press their bodies together.

Now that the hum of pleasure had receded, Haru had started to feel numb: the scratches and bites on his skin felt raw and tingled with sharpness. Blood rushed around underneath his skin as he allowed his eyelids to flutter, still adjusting to the room and the concept of standing. Rin's arms wrapped around his stomach, holding him securely in place.

'Such pretty patterns...' Rin murmured, running his tongue over the bites on Haru's neck.

'Others wouldn't see it that way,' Haru said. Rin leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

'Yeah, well… that's insignificant- Haruka is all that matters to me. Are you going to school tomorrow?'

'Probably.'

'You'll be around tomorrow night?'

'Yeah.'

Haru reached down to tug his shirt over his head, when a thought occurred to him and he stopped.

'Rin,' he asked, quietly. '...What are we doing?'

'Surviving,' Rin replied. 'That's all this is.'

'Nagisa is dead.'

'Yeah. But that was necessary.'

'Was it?'

'Haru,' Rin grasped Haru's forearms, easing his doubt. 'This is the way that things have to be.'

'Why?'

'Because blood and sacrifice are a natural part of living, and that goes for any species. Haru, you eat meat, don't you? Do you think about all of the animals that have died over the years to feed you? Do you think about the lives they lead, the way they felt as they died, their families and all of their pain- you don't think about those things, do you?'

Haru shook his head.

'Humans eating animals is different to what you do...' he said. 'Animals aren't as intelligent as humans.'

'And humans aren't as intelligent as vampires: Haru, it's not _wrong_ for you to eat animals- it's natural. Your body was designed for it, after all, and it's the same with me.'

'Nagisa didn't die to feed you.'

'No,' Rin agreed. 'But I'm trying to make you see things from my perspective. Haru, people aren't on the same level as me: _you're _not on the same level as me- I'm still getting you ready. When the time is right, I'll take you away to a place where we'll both be safe and can leave all of this behind. But for now, we have to stay. Until you feel it's right.'

Haru allowed Rin to tighten his hold on him, naturally relaxing into the other man's arms. Rin felt firm, warm and strong... Haru didn't want to be like Rin, however he wanted to be with him... but those facts weren't mutually exclusive anymore- he knew that Rin would want him to change. If Rin asked him to kill again... to eat other people... could Haru really do that..?

'I'll take you upstairs.' Rin announced, with a small smile. 'Haru… do you want to stay together until you fall asleep?'

'As if I could sleep with you beside me,' Haru muttered. Rin kissed his fingertips; now smirking.

'I'll behave- _promise._'

So, Haru went up to bed with Rin. He felt comfortable by Rin's side, not wanting to fall asleep- merely wanting to stay opposite Rin, feeling the other man lying next to him- wishing that the two of them could go on forever in that way, undisturbed, without having to worry about Rin's 'condition.' Haru threaded his fingers through Rin's red hair, watching his lovers chest rise and fall.

'I would never hurt you, Haru. You understand that, don't you?'

Haru closed his eyes into Rin's shoulder as Rin licked his way around his neck, brushing the wet skin affectionately with his nose.

'You're perfect, Haru.'

'I'm normal.'

'You're natural- that's what I like.' Rin's red eyes flickered in desire as he pulled Haru closer to him, placing an arm around his shoulder protectively.

'Haru, I'm going to protect you.'

_Against what?_

Haru didn't know what to make of that statement. As far as he was concerned, Rin was his largest potential threat- but Haru liked the warmth of Rin's arms. He liked the way that Rin held him- it was so easy to become distracted from the difficulties of their relationship when he was with Rin.

Rin told Haru that he was the most important person in the world to him, and Haru believed him when he said that.

* * *

Makoto didn't show up for school the next day, but he came to Haru's house once Haru returned; Haru let him in and went through to the kitchen to make them both some tea.

Makoto hadn't been holding himself together too well since Nagisa's death; he often had a far-away expression and the dark circles underneath his eyes implied he was having trouble getting to sleep at night. Haru reached up for some cups when he noticed something. His cooking apron was missing... had Rin taken it away?

Haru put it out of mind. He poured some tea and took it through to the lounge, passing Makoto a cup which he accepted wordlessly. The two of them sat side-by-side, staring ahead at the wallpaper.

'I haven't seen Rin around.' Makoto begun, eventually.

'Rin?'

'Yeah. I haven't seen Rin since... the night you two came to meet us?'

'What are you talking about?'

'You know,' Makoto continued. 'That night you and Rin had that argument about fishing. The two of you were holding hands, and he said you were together-'

'Rin didn't come back from Australia,' Haru replied. 'We haven't seen him in five years.'

'No!' Makoto stood up. 'You _have_! Rin was there the other night. Haru, you were arguing with him-'

Haru shook his head.

'Are you sure you didn't dream-'

'N-no,' Makoto was shaking. 'Haru, you have to remember... Nagisa was there, too!'

'Makoto, Nagisa is dead.'

'This happened before he died! Haru,_ please_...'

There was the dull sound of slowly approaching footsteps, then Rin appeared in the doorframe.

'Noisy,' he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

'H-he's here...'

Makoto pointed to Rin whom Haru glanced at, then turned back to Makoto blankly.

'There's no one,' he replied. 'It's an empty doorframe.'

Rin walked into the living room and encircled his arms around Haru's waist, resting his nose against Haru's neck. Haru didn't resist the touch or appear to have noticed, because his body didn't so much as twitch; Haru stared back at Makoto with concern.

'I have some headache pills in the kitchen. Do you need-'

'I-I have to go...' Makoto mumbled. 'H-Haru, I-I really need to go now... my parents will be worried about me-'

Makoto snatched up his bag and dashed out of the room, hurrying away down the hall until Haru heard the front door slam shut. For a few moments Haru stood in the silence, allowing the thoughts in his head time to disperse.

'Sorry,' he said, to Rin. 'Did I wake you?'

'Haruuu, I think Makoto will cause trouble. What are we going to do?'

'I'm taking care of it.' Haru replied, because he was.

* * *

It was five-thirty the next evening and Haru had hardly been home from school for five minutes when two police officers knocked on his front door.

'Mr. Haruka Nanase?' One of them asked, as Haru opened the door. Haru nodded. Whilst he'd been expecting officers eventually, he hadn't expected them soon: certainly not this soon. He wasn't prepared.

'We have a few questions,' the officer continued. 'Do you live alone?'

'Yes.'

The officer dug into his pocket and held up a photograph of eleven-year-old Rin.

'When was the last time you saw this boy?'

'Five years ago.'

'We see. Have you been in contact with him at all?'

'No.'

'See, that's slightly inconsistent- we've had a visit from one of your friends: Tachibana seems _very _convinced that Matsuoka recently returned to Iwatobi and you've been associating with him since then- how do you respond to this statement?'

Panic curled in the base of his stomach, although Haru managed to contain it.

'Rin may be back... I don't know. Have you tried his mother and sister?'

The policed officers glanced at each other: evidently, they'd already been to Rin's mother's house and learned nothing of interest there.

'This may come as a shock to you, but Matsuoka was pronounced missing in Australia around four months ago; Tachibana is convinced you're hiding Matsuoka here.'

Haru tried his best to remain calm: his heart was pounding in his chest- fluttering and jolting violently within his ribcage- and fear was progressively welling up inside of him. Rin _was_ home: he was asleep in Haru's basement, lying amongst the two skeletons, which was why Haru couldn't let the officers come closer.

'Excuse the intrusion, but we'd like to inspect your house.'

Haru shook his head.

'I'm busy-'

'We have a search warrant,' one of them continued. 'So may force our way in if necessary and arrest you at any attempts of prevention. Mr. Nanase, Tachibana seems to think that Hazuki's death was not an act of medical negligence, but in fact planned by yourself and Mr. Matsuoka- he also believes with conviction that you may be hiding Matsuoka here. Might I remind you that the accuse in question is murder and concerns a missing person, so it's in your best interest to cooperate; we assure you that if you have nothing to hide, then you've nothing to worry about.'

Rin was asleep in the basement, and whilst Haru knew Rin could easily have these people killed, he was also aware that if two officers went missing after visiting his house, it would consequently attract direct attention to them. Everything was spinning and Haru was growing dizzy- what was he supposed to say? He didn't have any grounds to disagree so he stepped back from the door to allow the officers entry.

Haru felt uncomfortable as the officers rummaged through his cupboards- even though he had nothing to hide in his living room, he still felt discontent with the invasion of his and Rin's private space; Haru slipped out his phone behind his back, sending a brief text to Rin telling him to get up. Tables were moved, rugs were lifted and the officers felt along the skirting boards and through his pillow cases- every object in each room was searched until the officers felt satisfied nothing hidden remained. They then progressed to the kitchen, where one opened up Haru's freezer and peered down at all the food.

'You buy a lot of meat for one person,' one commented. Haru turned away.

'I'm a swimmer... I need stamina.'

'Of course.'

The freezer snapped shut and the officers climbed upstairs. Once inside of Haru's bedroom they found Rin's clothes in the drawers, shook them and searched the pockets but didn't seem to notice that they belonged to someone else- even if Rin did have a different taste in clothing, he was still the same age as Haru therefore the same size, so his clothes blended in reasonably with Haru's own. The bathroom was searched as well as Haru's grandmother's old bedroom and the airing cupboard... finally, the officers progressed back downstairs and stood before the basement door.

Rin was fast asleep inside with the skeletons of the two people he'd eaten... Haru knew that if the officers went in there, it would all be over.

'W-wait,' Haru blurted out, as one officer's palm settled on the handle. 'I-I'm going to faint...'

'You do look awfully pale: you're hyperventilating.' The first officer turned to the other. 'Otsuki, please take Mr. Nanse through to his kitchen: I just need to inspect this final room.'

'N-no,' Haru's voice cut with insistence. 'Both of you need to come-'

'There's only one more room remaining. Mr. Nanase, I must insist that you remain calm; we require your cooperation for a little longer.'

There was nothing Haru could do- he was already beginning to look suspicious. The basement door creaked open and Haru was met with the overpowering smell...

...of thickly and freshly applied paint.

'Woah,' Haru heard one of the officers say. 'That's really something!'

The basement walls were covered in a thick layer of blue paint- at least three coatings had been applied. A mural had been painted on the wall, depicting what appeared to be a shark swimming peacefully alongside a dolphin. Just as Haru noticed it, his phone vibrated with a text from Rin:

_'Safe and sound.'_

Haru let go of the breath he'd been holding, relief surmounting, rolling over him in waves. Rin's drawing skills were atrocious, but never in his life had Haru appreciated a painting as much: it occurred to him that Rin had sent the text message because he'd felt Haru's sudden reprieve... which meant he was still close- close enough to sense Haru's emotions. But where? Haru couldn't see Rin in the basement, or the two skeletons for that matter- he had no idea where Rin had moved them. He'd covered up the smell of bodies with paint and somehow gotten rid of two sets of bones... plus himself. Where _was_ Rin hiding?

The basement had been completely renovated- it was only a small room, but the officers searched it thoroughly. Paint stains covered the smears of blood, so there was no evidence to be found from the floorboards; old bed sheets had been draped over the shelves which the officers peaked under, but seemed to find nothing of interest. A stepladder sat in the corner under a square of blue tarpaulin, with Haru's cooking apron- now paint stained- draped over it.

_Rin planned this,_ Haru realised. _Rin knew this would happen and planned in advance. He could have ran away and left me to deal with the police finding the bodies... instead, he protected us._

'That's a nice mural,' one officer commented, as he turned to leave- evidently, having found nothing suspicious.

'It really brightens the dark of the room,' the other agreed. 'This apron here is covered in fresh paint... were you still painting when we disturbed you?'

'I was.'

'Forgive us- we didn't mean anything by it. It's just that Tachibana seems to be in a very... delicate... state of mind: the death of his friend seems to have affected him badly.'

_They're talking about Nagisa..._

The other officer asked:

'Has Tachibana been acting... strange... lately?'

'What do you mean?'

'Has his behaviour had changed? For example, has there been anything out of the ordinary with the way he's reacting around you?'

'I...' Haru looked away.

'Did you think of something?'

'...It's not important.'

'It might not seem important to you,' the officer pressed. 'But to us, it could be a very valuable piece of information. Could you tell us what came to mind?'

The officers were walking into his hands- they now had Haru's undivided attention.

'Makoto is different,' Haru explained. 'His behaviour is strange. Sometimes he yells at me for touching him when I'm not. And...'

'And?'

'He mumbles to himself.' It was a lie. 'He see's people when there's no one and gets upset for no reason. But I think… he's upset.'

'Yes... _upset_.'

Haru's act was short-lived, but it had the desired effect: the police officers exchanged worried glances with each other and begun to scribble frantically in their notebooks, their faces the picture of concern as they copied down Haru's words.

'You've been a big help,' they told Haru finally. 'Thanks again for your cooperation. If there's anything we can do for you, just let us know- also, it may be a good idea to be supportive of Tachibana for a while. Speaking frankly, he doesn't seem to be himself... well, we'll make sure the right people get to see him.'

Haru nodded and saw the officers out. When they were gone, he called Rin on his phone-

'...Where are you?'

'Take a guess.'

'I don't want to. Where are the bodies?'

'Hidden... I have them with me. Haru, I'm kind of stuck.'

After returning to the basement, Haru found an uncovered section of floor and dropped down onto his knees, digging his fingernails between the wooden floorboards. They were stiff... initially, they didn't want to come away. Haru pulled back and tried again- pressing his nails in deeper this time whilst curving his fingertips to push up the boards- until he finally pulled them free- the old wood groaning and splintering on his skin. There was a space underneath the floor where the insulation had been removed... and out of it climbed Rin, rubbing his head.

'I have the worst headache,' he complained. Haru buried himself in Rin's arms.

'It's your fault,' he criticised, although inside he felt a stab of relief.

'_Hey_,' Rin laughed as Haru clutched him. '...did you think I'd let them find me? Haru, you need to have more faith in me. And... I suppose I should feel the same way about you. I thought you'd panic and give something away, but you didn't…'

'They're suspicious,' Haru disagreed, thinking about the comment the officer had made upon seeing the meat in his freezer. Rin rubbed the back of his neck non-committally for several seconds.

'Yeah... well, we can't help that. They're independent people so they still have their own suspicions, but that on its own isn't enough- until they find anything solid, they can't so much as touch you, Haru. Not that I'd let them: I'd_ kill_ anyone who hurt you.'

'I know.'

They left the basement together, going through to the living room. Rin seemed to sense how much the episode had drained Haru because he turned.

'Tired, huh?'

Haru nodded. In response, Rin held out a palm.

'Then come here.'

Rin told him to kneel then pulled Haru's shirt over his head in one smooth movement before he begun massaging his shoulders, dropping small kisses on the muscles and joints. Haru flexed and breathed out, letting Rin's hands rub his body as Rin sucked the pulse points on his throat.

Things would become difficult in the future, Haru thought: although he hadn't discussed this with Rin, he knew the other man had considered the prospect- it hung over them both, like a weighty raincloud. They had no way to dispose of the two skeletons already in Haru's basement- the same skeletons which had caused police to swarm to Iwatobi like flies around a roadside corpse. Rin already had to be careful not to be recognised when he went out at night and Haru had to watch his words; as things were, Haru and Rin were uncomfortable.

Rin squeezed Haru's pants and smiled.

'Don't _worry- _it will be okay. Haru, I can tell you're thinking about something troublesome- I don't like to feel you stressed.'

'Then take all the stress away from me,' Haru ordered.

Touch by touch, kiss by kiss... that was exactly what Rin did.

'How do you want it tonight, Haru?' Rin breathed, between hungry kisses.

'I want to do something for you.'

'Yeah?'

'I want to taste you...'

Haru pushed Rin against the table then dropped down to his knees, feeling the hardness of Rin's crotch through fabric; wanting Rin in his mouth. Slowly, Haru unzipped Rin's pants, pulling them down to his legs as he took Rin's member into his hand, giving the head several licks. Rin laughed coarsely at this, smoothing his fingers through Haru's thick, dark hair.

'Haru, you don't have to be shy.'

He hadn't made Rin orgasm this way before but Rin had made him feel carnal, and for what Haru lacked in experience his arousal compensated. He felt powerful on his knees- it was strangely exciting. He liked that he could time Rin's moans with the movement of his lips and the strokes of his hand- liked that he could bring so much so pleasure to Rin by doing this simple thing; just by licking and caressing Rin's body. Haru sucked hungrily on the sensitive foreskin, scraping his teeth against it lightly- like Rin always did with him- almost choking in an attempt to take Rin in to the back of his throat, making several attempts before he could manage. Rin grasped Haru's hair and begun fucking his mouth, plunging his hips and dick against the back of Haru's throat in rough movements, moaning louder with each thrust.

'Ha... ru...'

Rin's legs quivered and the fingers in Haru's hair turned into fists as Rin's climax shot through him, hot semen flooding Haru's mouth, sliding out of his mouth and onto his throat. Haru leaned in and nipped the head of Rin's dick, the other man shuddering violently; Haru waited for Rin to regain his breath- peering up at him with calm, blue eyes- before Rin pulled him up into his arms, kissing him fiercely on the mouth.

'Bed,' Rin commanded, and Haru nodded- he didn't care how early it was; all he knew was that he needed to feel Rin.

* * *

Sex with Rin was passionate and pleasurable and afterwards, they lay beside one another- Rin had curled up to Haru's side, teasing the peak of one of Haru's nipples. He flicked the nub then rubbed it back and forth between his fingers, pinching, stretching and poking it with his tongue- Haru had bitten his lip yet every so often couldn't help but gasp, one of his eyes closed in concentration. His body remained tender from everything they'd done, and Rin's touches were so carefully placed; so _specific_ and deliberate… Rin had learned quickly how to please his body.

'I want to see how hard I can make you just from touching you here,' Rin whispered to Haru, circling his nipple with one lazy finger- tracing the borderline of where the pink skin met white. 'We've only been doing this for a few minutes, but you're already almost erect again... you just lose it completely when I touch you like this, don't you?'

'Bite me.'

Rin grinned at him.

'In good time. The second I figure out how to make you like me, I'm going to do it, Haru. Then we can be together always.'

Haru had a mental image of he and Rin with fangs, cantering through a field of flowers together in a patch of moonlight; somehow, Haru doubted that even if Rin did bite him, things would go that smoothly.

'I don't want to be a vampire.'

'You will- Haru, you'll love it.'

'I don't want it,' Haru repeated, louder. 'I just want to be with you.'

'That won't work: Haru, you're growing up. You're going to be eighteen this June which would put you a year ahead of me in appearance- it doesn't matter that I was older than you before because I've stopped ageing but you're going to keep going. Haru, I don't understand... don't want to be with me?'

'That isn't it and you know it,' Haru mumbled, rolling over.

'Is it the killing? Because I can do that for you.' Strong hands wrapped around Haru's ribs and squeezed. 'Haru, it'll be difficult at first, then after that it's instinctual... and humans taste _good-_ your taste buds will evolve to like it.'

'What happened when you got bitten?' He asked.

Rin frowned.

'I've told you, I don't remember... all I recall is seeing bite marks on my neck and feeling really ill for about three months- in a lot of pain… like I was going to die- then I was unconscious for a few days... after that, I woke up, and _really_ wanted to eat a person. I don't remember getting bitten.'

'In your sleep?'

'Maybe, but you'd think a bite would wake me up. Plus bites alone don't change people in my experience- I don't know.' It was Rin's turn to roll over. 'I mean, I have a theory but...'

'What?'

'No,' Rin laughed, low in his throat. 'It's unlikely. Anyway, I'm not trying _anything_ until I can confirm it- I only get one chance to bite you, Haru. If I pierce your main artery and it doesn't work then you'll bleed to death; I can't afford to make mistakes.'

Again, Haru didn't reply. He pulled on his boxers and a T-shirt then went downstairs to prepare some late dinner, deciding that whatever disagreements they had they'd cross whenever they reached.

* * *

Makoto still remained a problem although he'd begun avoiding Haru at school. Occasionally in class, Haru would catch him staring or shooting apprehensive glances in his direction- Makoto was also being pulled out of lessons to meet with the school counsellor due to what Haru had said. The police asked Haru several more questions about Rin over the telephone, but other than that, things seemed to be relatively smooth- to Haru, it seemed as if he and Rin had gotten away with killing Nagisa. But that wasn't enough for Rin: Haru could see that Rin wouldn't be satisfied until Makoto was dead as well.

Kill Makoto and paint it as suicide: that was the plan which Rin had conjured. Haru had listened to the reasoning behind it whilst subconsciously feeling horrified by what Rin suggested; there was no reason for Makoto to die. Rin wanted to kill him out of spite.

'Hanging is the way most people kill themselves...' Rin had muttered, deep in thought in Haru's living room one evening. 'But pushing him in front of a train where there aren't any cameras would probably take a lot less work. I'll handle this for you, so what's it going to be?'

Haru felt uncomfortable discussing his former best friend's murder; Makoto had done nothing wrong but Rin intended to kill him solely because he didn't like the fact that there were other people in the world who had been close to Haru during a recent point in time. Haru still cared about Makoto deeply, and had resolved to push him away so he wouldn't be at risk, which was why he didn't want to go through with Rin's suggestions. However, the amount of effort it took to disagree with Rin was far too copious-

'This is wrong.'

'_Haru_,' Rin adapted a scowl. 'You're not getting cold feet, are you? If Makoto stays alive, he won't leave us alone! He's the one who brought the police here last time, so what makes you sure he's gonna stop there?'

'It doesn't matter what he says,' Haru said. 'The police think Makoto is unwell, so they won't listen to him. This isn't the same as with Nagisa-'

'Haru, I thought you were with me on this. I thought you said you'd be with me all the way-'

'I want to protect us,' Haru answered, unwavering. 'This won't help.'

'The_ law_ won't be able to touch us. I'm missing, and you'll have an alibi-'

'Alibis or lack of evidence doesn't matter,' Haru found his voice rising, remaining firm. 'Rin. If two of my best friends die and one of them has been pronounced missing, the police will either arrest me or think I'm being targeted and take me away! Or they'll search us again, and bring dogs who can smell what the officers couldn't find-'

'No,' Rin's expression became cold. 'This isn't about _us_\- it goes deeper than that! Haru... you're in love with Makoto, aren't you? Did you two ever kiss?'

'_What_?'

'The evening when I came back to Iwatobi,' Rin growled. 'I went straight to your house, but _Makoto_ was there- even as kids, he could never keep his hands away from you! So, have you kissed? How many times has he fucked you-'

'We're friends,' Haru replied, angrily. 'You're not thinking-'

'I just want to help you, Haru,' Rin snarled then he stormed out and slammed the door behind him, leaving Haru to infer that Rin had lost that argument, but he hadn't exactly won.

* * *

The next time Haru spoke with Makoto, it was face-to-face after school late one afternoon. Makoto had suggested that he and Haru walk home together, so the two of them had walked in silence, then taken a detour to the wind turbines where Nagisa had been found.

'I don't want to be around you any more.' Haru begun, watching Makoto tuck his green cell-phone into his pocket after fiddling with it for a moment. '...What do you want?'

Makoto wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his jacket.

'Haru...' his voice immediately cracked. 'Just tell me, because I really need to know: I wasn't imagining it that night when you and Rin were there, was I? You were really both there... but you're protecting Rin, aren't you? After that disagreement, you helped him disappear… because he killed Nagisa?'

'Don't,' Haru warned. 'Leave it alone. ...Make new friends.'

'Haru,' the words emerged hoarsely from his throat. 'What's happened to you? Ever since Rin came back, you've changed... Rin's twisted you...'

'Rin hasn't done anything to me.'

'You can't even see it, can you? Haru, you're a _victim!_ Rin's trying to control you... he's _brainwashing_ you-'

'I'm happy!' Haru flushed. 'I'm trying to protect you! _Makoto_-'

Haru stopped speaking, his body becoming cold when he realised he'd revealed too much. Makoto stood before him- horrified- blinking back tears as he gazed at Haru.

'You're not Haru anymore,' he mumbled. 'I don't know who you are.'

Then Makoto turned and dashed away, leaving Haru alone in the coming darkness.

* * *

After his disagreement with Makoto, Haru returned home and was silent as he prepared dinner; Rin watched him curiously, seeming to read Haru's mood and draw his own conclusions. Several days passed and Makoto wasn't mentioned again; Rin's affection for Haru deepened, and they didn't have an argument which wasn't resolved by a kiss or bite.

Two weeks after Nagisa's death Rin had maintained his promise not to eat anything from a human although, steadily, his resolve was breaking down. Haru went to the supermarket every day but it still wasn't enough: no matter how much meat Haru bought, it was never enough to satisfy Rin's hunger. Whilst the meat tasted good to Rin, it didn't provide him with the energy he needed: Rin ate six shopping bags of meat a day, yet he was starving to death. Even Haru could see that he wasn't going to last.

Rin stopped being temperamental, became constantly exhausted then withdrew into himself. He spent both night and day in his futon, unwilling to eat the meat which Haru brought to him- he'd lie stiff, resembling a small animal in its fatal stages of hibernation. Haru entered the basement one evening, tucking an errant strand of hair behind one of Rin's ears.

'Rinrin.'

Rin's head stirred- he didn't respond to the nickname.

'Haruuu... what time is it?'

'…Seven.'

Usually, Rin woke at five but now he was reluctant to even open his eyes- judging from his position, he hadn't moved since this morning, either. Haru removed his t-shirt and crawled under the bedding, pressing himself up against Rin's bare back. The skin was burning: feverish… Haru slipped his arms around Rin's waist. Rin's ribs felt thin due to a substantial loss of weight and his already pale skin had a grey quality to it… he also rasped when he breathed in and out, as if he'd just returned from a long sprint.

'Haru...' the beads of perspiration clinging to Rin's temples quivered as his lips parted. 'I'm so hungry... I'm trying to hold it in for you, baby.'

'I know.'

Rin moaned.

'I need to eat.'

'I know.' Haru's grip on Rin tightened. 'I bought more chicken -'

'I don't want chicken... Haru, I want human blood! Muscle, skin, organs, bone marrow... I'm so hungry that it's starting to get painful. I haven't had anything from a human in over two weeks and I think I'm nearing my limit. Haru... I'm gonna die.'

Haru thought so, too. By this time of evening Rin would usually be up- swinging from the furniture or pinning Haru to the nearest surface with his crotch, finding something to tease Haru with, or complain about… it was unusual to see him resting this late.

Rin couldn't eat animal meat forever: he'd need to consume a human at some point, else he would starve. Besides, Makoto wasn't speaking to Haru and Nagisa had already died- Haru had no need to care about other people. No need to feel attachments-

'It's my fault,' he reasoned. '…I'll find something. How do you get food?'

'Flirt.'

Haru frowned, realising he should have known that was accurate. Rin lured people away with the concept of sex: he was attractive, after all, and knew how to present his body. The two previous people Rin had brought back with him had probably come of their own will, expecting a good time…

''Ss a convenience store a few minutes from here,' Rin mumbled. 'It's dead- hardly anyone goes in there. They have two staff members every night and cameras all over the store but none outside- I've been watching that place for a while. They always need to have one person behind the counter, and the male smokes which means that when he goes out to the back of the store for his ten-minute break, they'll be a window of opportunity to kill him. Haru, I think I should do it.'

_Rin has everything planned out..._

Haru wanted this chance to prove himself.

'I'll do it,' he repeated. 'How do I bring back the body?'

'You don't. There's a dumpster nearby, so just throw the corpse in there- cut out one of his organs, cram that in your rucksack and bring it to me. If the girl comes out then kill her, too- you can't afford to hesitate. Can you do it?'

'Yeah.'

'Don't screw up.'

Haru walked slowly to the store, unsure of what he'd agreed, despite how stubbornly he'd argued; the kitchen knife in his bag felt as if it were made of lead. Haru didn't like the idea of taking a life, yet knew it would be meaningful to Rin: Haru supposed that if he killed in Rin's place then he could lessen the weight on Rin's shoulders, dismissing any doubts residing within the other man. Rin had said it came down to him or other people, and Haru had chosen him: he'd choose Rin a hundred times over and still be sure he'd made the right choice.

So, Haru stood in the shadows at the back of the convenience store and waited until, eventually, there was a low groan of metal and someone came out of the back door.

The employee was a male who looked to be about nineteen- Haru didn't recognise him, which would make it easier. He was not muscled, but tall and thin- possibly anaemic from the pallid complexion of his skin- yet he would still serve Rin's purpose.

Haru slipped out from the dark and locked his arms beneath the man's shoulders- allowing the knife to glide along his throat.

'W-what the_ fuck_ are you doing..?'

Haru had faltered, been too gentle and the knife hadn't cut through the skin: the man nudged him in the rib and tried to run away but Haru immediately clutched at his clothes, determined to try again- his body was working automatically, now.

The man was frightened, and he had a flight instinct which gave Haru the advantage. He was trembling, but not as much as the other man- the male struggled and tried to kick out but Haru's grip under his shoulders was strong enough to hold him back. He folded one arm around the male's neck and used the other to push the knife underneath it- harder this time- so that he slit his throat completely, the blade smooth as it glided along the wall of flesh to create an oozing flap. The male stopped struggling in his arms and blood begun to gush from the slit, resembling the stuffing coming out of a pillow. Haru dropped the knife, let go of the body and staggered backwards as the world swirled around him, blending together, his vision spotted over by black-

Rin jumped down from the store roof, landing softly beside him.

'I got anxious so I came along. Good job.' He kissed Haru on the face. 'You okay?'

'I c-can't cut him up, I'm s-shaking-'

'It's alright... I never expected you to. I just wanted to see how far you'd go... further than I expected. It's okay, Haru.'

Rin crouched down beside the body, pressing his nose against its neck. His pink tongue came out and begun to lap thirstily at the red liquid which flooded from the wound.

'_So good_,' Rin breathed. 'That tastes incredible... I want to take the whole thing home. Haru, you have to walk- we need to go back. Right now.'

Once home, Haru begun to convulse- Rin stroked his hair and murmured to him gently, pulling Haru close to his chest. But Haru couldn't cease trembling and was unable to slow his breathing- Rin wrapped him in the duvet and held him until he fell asleep, calming Haru when he tossed and turned- replacing the covers each time he kicked them away fitfully, until Haru eventually exhausted himself. The next morning Haru was sick, then a strange sense of passiveness overcame him; he made his way into the basement, watching Rin eat the person he'd killed.

Overnight, Rin's appearance had become healthier- his red eyes had regained his shine and the colour was back in his skin. He looked satisfied as he ate; his teeth had protracted to become sharp, pointed- the bones of his jaw stretching to allow him to drink deeply from the carcasses wounds, his mouth tearing away an entire ear in an attempt to consume two weeks' worth of sustenance.

'I killed someone.' Haru outstretched one of his hands to look at it: it was clean. Clean and pale in the dim light of the basement... until Rin's blood-stained palm covered it.

'How did it feel?' Rin's voice lowered in concern; Haru didn't voice his thoughts. After recovering from the initial shock of what he'd done, killing another person had been easier to deal with than he'd expected…

'I shouldn't have allowed you to do that,' Rin swallowed his mouthful and drew closer to Haru. 'I could have messed up something in your head, but I wanted to see if you'd carry it through. And you did.' The words were warm. 'I'm so proud of you, Haru...'

Haru stared ahead silently as Rin embraced him- unspeaking, unfeeling of Rin's fingers as they dug into the back of his shoulder-blades, barely conscious of Rin's breath across the pulse on his exposed throat. Rin seemed to notice the dissonance around them since he pulled back, to look levelly at Haru.

'What's with that face..?' He probed.

Haru turned to one side.

'I'm fine.'

'Hey, uh... don't think about what you did. Haru, there are people who kill for much worse reasons than you. Some people rape and torture each other... other people kill then masturbate over the corpses-'

'...Being better than the worst doesn't make you the best,' Haru recited, remembering that quote from his homeroom teacher. Rin nodded, but didn't seem to agree.

'That's true, but you killed for me... so, let me deal with this instead of you.'

Rin yawned and as he did, Haru caught sight of two rows of sharp teeth. Rin was... surprisingly cute this way- just like a kitten, after a nap... ignoring all of the blood and internal organs that were smeared victoriously down his chest. Haru found his way to his feet albeit unsteadily then managed to climb the stairs, gathered several tubes and packets into his arms, quickly returning- dropping them onto the floor before Rin.

'What's this?' Rin glanced up.

'Toothpaste,' Haru explained. 'Soap, conditioner... so I won't taste blood on you.'

Rin crawled closer and grinned, nipping Haru's ear as he whispered:

'Can't I kiss you like this?'

Rin's red eyes glowed and he purred, the tone obviously teasing. Haru took it seriously.

'You can't.'

'So you're accepting that I need to kill people? Does this mean you're okay with it?'

'I don't want you to die.'

Rin's lips curved into a smile.

'I know.'

* * *

As time passed, Haru found that accepting Rin became easier- a lot of things in the world were strange to Haru- Rin being a vampire was only one of them. Rin's taste for bodies disturbed Haru, but it was something he had to deal with: it was something that came with being with Rin, so Haru could tolerate it.

Rin liked to keep the people he took alive for several days as he ate them: he preferred it when his victims were still breathing because their bodies were warmer to eat, their skin was softer and their organs were rich- it was torture to his victims. They didn't die quickly and peacefully- Rin would crush their vocal chords then break their legs, and they spent hours writhing in agony on the basement floor mutilated, crying out silently for help that would never come.

Haru didn't go into the basement; he _couldn't_ go down there. Even though he'd accepted what Rin had to do, it still made him uncomfortable and Rin seemed to realise this, as he never asked Haru to get involved where his food was concerned.

Rin tried his best to make their situation comfortable for Haru, and always cleaned then brushed his teeth before coming to him. Every night, Rin would eat part of a human, shower then proceed to have intercourse with Haru- Haru found there to be something surreal about that, even moreso that he was accustomed to the routine. Even moreso that he waited for Rin in bed and _accepted_ him into his arms, without any protests or obtrusive questions.

Rin was emotional and unpredictable, but also fiercely loving and protective- Haru had a hard time associating the word 'monster' with him, despite the fact that Rin both ate and slept in a dark room that was crowded with corpses, because Rin took care of Haru. He would cook normal food for him sometimes, hold him tightly and help with the occasional chore- he would kiss Haru softly on the lips and listen to everything that he said; for Haru, Rin had literally all of the time in the world.

'...There's blood in your hair.'

'Ah... sorry.'

As Rin climbed into bed with Haru one night with dried blood caught in the strands of his hair, Haru knew this would have been an appropriate time to lecture him, but he was so used to seeing Rin covered in blood that it was no longer something that surprised or frightened him. Rin's hair was a similar colour to the fluid- Haru wondered if it was difficult to notice.

'Blood is sticky and dries quickly,' Rin grimaced, as he touched the spot with his fingers. 'It's hard to get it out- sometimes, I have to cut it.'

'Rin,' Haru started, instead: '...how are we going to get rid of the skeletons in the basement?'

The question had been impending on their horizon for a while- it had been weeks since Nagisa's death, and the bodies were slowly mounting up. At present, Rin had been burying them underneath the floorboards among the housing insulation, but Haru knew that couldn't go on: the smell in the basement was sickening, and dogs would bark and whine whenever their owners dragged them past Haru's house on their leads, scratching their paws against the bricks. They couldn't hide the bodies for much longer- eventually, something would have to give.

'I think...' Rin considered slowly. 'I think we should burn it down. Haru, your house: I think we should set it alight.'

* * *

**One more chapter to go!**


	6. Burial of Ashes

**Luuka: **this is the final instalment of the story. I'm pleased with the outcome!

I want to empathise that this is a horror rated as M (16+) and warnings are in the prelude.

Luuka = dead xD

* * *

**-PART 1: burnt aroma of a graze (6,007 words)-**

'I will never leave your side.

Never, ever.

_Ever_.'

* * *

A crescent moon hung in the sky as Haru lay with Rin by his side, face-to-face in his bed. For a moment, Rin's words didn't reach him-

'Rin...' Haru's throat felt tight. 'I can't burn my house.'

'Haru, you don't need to be afraid.' Rin's fingers ghosted across Haru's cheek. 'I know you're frightened of the future but we need to stay in motion; do you see any other way of getting rid of the dead bodies in the basement?'

'No.'

'And do you think we'll be safe if we continue to live here?'

'...No.'

'Well, then.' Rin curled Haru against his chest. 'Haru, everything we've done up until this point would be futile if we can't stay together in the end. You understand why we have to do this, don't you?'

'Yeah.'

The realisation had come slowly but the way that Haru felt had gradually became clearer: his love for Rin was perpetual- a part of Haru whispered that without Rin, he'd be reluctant to go on.

They both climbed out of bed whilst Rin set up the materials he'd gathered earlier and hidden- several tanks of gasoline that had been stolen from local garages and all of the components to make homemade gunpowder: the gun powder would ensure that the two of them would have enough time to get away before the gasoline incited an explosion. Whilst Rin got everything ready, Haru remained upstairs, preparing a rucksack.

Haru didn't own a lot of possessions, nor a lot of material items that held importance to him- he filled the bag with two sets of clothes, his cell phone and wallet; Haru then picked up Rin's yearbook from Iwatobi Elementary School and held it in his hands for a moment before sliding it into the bag. A small, straight edged kitchen knife went into his pocket.

Haru was thinking on his bed- waiting for Rin to tell him he was done spreading the gunpowder- when his phone vibrated with a text from Makoto:

'_I'm so sorry, Haru_.'

'Haru!' Rin called up the stairs. 'You need to go to the window. _Now._'

Eight police cars were parked outside whilst approximately twenty men in bulletproof vests holding tactical rifles took position in the neighbourhood, surrounding his house in a semi-circle. As a team of officers slammed against his front door, realisation submersed Haru:

_Makoto..._

He'd gone back to the police after that conversation with Haru on the hill... possibly even recorded it, as Haru remembered Makoto fidgeting with his phone. Nearly two weeks had passed since then…

How long had Makoto spent trying to convince the police, before they'd finally believed him? Had they been watching Haru? Did they have evidence of the murders?

His heart was _pounding_ in his chest_-_

'Nanase, are you in there?' An officer with a megaphone called. 'Nanase, I'm speaking directly to you- you're under arrest for harbouring a dangerous individual, for being an accessory in the murder of Mr. Nagisa Hazuki and as a suspect in a local string of murders. You do not have to say anything, but anything that you do may harm your defence-'

Not yet... they couldn't come in yet. Rin still wasn't done spreading the gunpowder-

Haru opened his bedroom window, pulled out a match and held it up to the light of the moon so that all of the officers could see it.

'If I light this,' Haru told them, to buy Rin time. 'My house will explode. We'll all go up.'

'Nanase,' the officers voice was gentle. 'Drop the match. Surrender now and it will look better in the court trial... don't make things more difficult for yourself. We know about the serial killings, and you're entitled to a lawyer... you don't have to resort to this-'

'Haru,' Rin appeared in the doorway. 'People are trying to get in through the back- come with me.'

Haru snatched his rucksack from the floor and threw himself down the stairs, the soles of his feet pounding on the wooden steps. A team of men had kicked down the backdoor and Rin danced around them fast- like a whirlwind- slitting their throats with a kitchen knife whilst simultaneously avoiding their bullets. Haru didn't see Rin move: he only witnessed the bodies drop. The trail of gunpowder ended by the backdoor and Rin scraped a match from the counter, tossing it backwards. Then, he grabbed Haru's hand- the two of them ran.

For several seconds, Haru heard shots and felt the air ripple around him. His thighs burned from sprinting and he thought he heard Rin shout...

Then came the explosion.

There was a sharp flash and Haru was thrown onto the floor on top of rubble and broken glass. His hands and cheeks were cut but his clothing suppressed most of the damage- smoke was pouring out from behind him, wreathing and billowing in a thick cloud around his body. Rin grabbed Haru's hand and dragged him up, pulling him coughing away from the explosion, down the hill at the back of his house and away onto the road.

The fire must have triggered a second, greater explosion, because there was a sharp crackle and Haru was thrown onto the concrete again, taking a glance behind him to see his house engulfed in vicious orange as the fire spread to lick at his neighbour's roof. Haru's heart thumped as he sprinted down the road, following Rin into a woodland clearing a few minutes from what now remained of his home. Rin was losing pace and at first Haru thought this was so he could keep up, until he noticed it: blood, soaking the fabric of Rin's t-shirt-

'_Haru_,' Rin choked. 'I'm hit-'

'So?' Haru yelled. 'Let your body recover-'

'It can't recover- the shells are stuck inside of me!'

The two of them kept running until they reached a clearing in the woods- Rin sunk down on a pile of leaves, barely able to catch up with his breath.

'This tree...' Rin panted. 'There's a suitcase underneath it. It has bil... billions of yen... Haru, dig... dig it up.'

Haru didn't know how Rin had come to possess a suitcase of money but didn't protest or ask questions; he dug up the case with his fingernails then grabbed Rin's hand to pull him away, aware that the police could have helicopters searching for them by now. Rin stood with Haru then his legs quivered and he wailed suddenly, dropping down onto his knees.

'Haru, the bullets... y-you have to cut them out!'

Rin's face contorted in pain as Haru ripped away his shirt and pants, listening to Rin's voice as he told Haru where the bullets had sunk in his skin. Rin's body healed almost-instantly, so cutting slowly didn't do any good: Haru had to plunge the knife into Rin- ignoring the other man's screams- just to dig out the shells, dislodging them from Rin's body so that it could heal anew. Two bullets were stuck in his thighs, one was in his ribs and three were in his arms- then, Haru cut away the last one, which was lodged close to Rin's heart. The bullet had sunken into him deep and Rin winced as Haru cut it away... Haru tossed the bloodied lump of metal aside and waited for the hole where it had come from to heal... except that it didn't. Blood oozed out onto Haru's hands and he froze up in fear.

'It isn't stopping...' he panicked. 'Rin... _the bleeding_ _isn't stopping-'_

'My heart... is the only part of me that's like you...' Rin mumbled. 'That's... that's what he said.'

'_He_?'

'Phone...' Rin trailed away. 'Haru, get... get your phone. I'll tell you a number and you have to... call it...'

Rin repeated a number, which Haru tapped into his cell.

'How can I help you?' The voice on the other end was clipped- it's contempt seemed to drip through to Haru in an IV fashion from the other end of the line.

'Rin's in trouble,' Haru begun into the receiver. 'I-I think he's dying...'

'Matsuoka? The test subject who went to Japan?'

_…__Test subject?_

'Rin said you could help him. He's been shot close to his heart-'

'I want to speak with him directly.'

'You _can't!' _Haru repeated, desperately. 'Rin is dying-'

'Then he's failed. We don't need him anymore.'

Then the line clicked and went dead, the automatic tone ringing in his ear. Haru tossed the phone away in aggravation and crawled back over to Rin, picking up the other man in his arms, feeling Rin shudder violently beneath him.

'Ah.' Rin's lips were dry. 'That's disappointing…'

'It's going to be okay.' Haru insisted firmly. 'You're going to be fine-'

'_Haru,_' Rin reached up with trembling fingers. 'Haru... it shouldn't be this way for you... you can still... get away from this...'

'What?'

'Show them my body... tell them that I forced you to do everything, that I burned down your house... they'll believe you, Haru. You can come out of this clean-'

'N-no-'

Frantically, Haru stripped off his shirt and wrapped it around Rin's chest as a makeshift bandage, wiping Rin's blood from his hands onto his jeans, redressing them both with the spare clothes.

'It's going to be okay,' Haru repeated, stubborn. 'We'll get out of here. I promise.'

Haru put the rucksack around Rin then lifted the other man onto his back, managing to slide his arms beneath Rin's legs and carry the suitcase at the same time. When they got back onto the road, Haru signalled a nearby car and offered to pay the couple who were driving several thousand yen if they could take Haru and Rin to the nearest airport: fortunately for them, they agreed, and Haru didn't have to use the kitchen knife in his pocket.

The drive lasted just over an hour and Haru passed the time by slapping and pinching Rin's cheeks in an effort to keep him conscious, putting his hands over his chest to apply pressure. When they reached the airport, Haru tipped the drivers then took Rin and the rest of the money to the back of the grounds, where the private planes were kept. He approached a man standing alone beside a shuttle plane.

'Are you the pilot?' he asked.

'Yeah,' was the reply- grunted. 'I just docked.'

'I need you to fly again.' Haru explained quickly. 'We need to go to Paris.'

'_Paris_?' The pilot snorted. 'You know how far away that is? Kid, I only fly for leisure and I just got back from a trip-'

Haru opened the suitcase of money, thrusting it forward.

'It's real,' he explained, even though he didn't know that for certain- 'all of it… you can take any four or five notes to the front desk to check. There are billions of yen, and I'll give it you... all you have to do is get us both to Paris!'

'Do you have passports? Any kind of ID?'

'No,' Haru replied, impatient. 'But if you want the money, you'll take us away.'

The pilot's eyes flicked over Rin and Haru- seeming to seriously contemplate Haru's offer- before he stubbed out his cigarette.

'Get in the plane,' he barked, decidedly. 'We'll leave in thirty- any Paris airport?'

'The one in Rue de Nesle. ...Thank you.'

The interior of the shuttle plane was cold and cramped yet Haru didn't care about the conditions. He settled Rin inside of it then checked his pulse and temperature: Rin's heartbeat was slow and his forehead was warm- his eyelids fluttering to expose the red of his irises beneath- but he remained alive: for several minutes, Haru's hysteria convinced him that the pilot had gone to tell someone about them, but instead the man refuelled and climbed inside of the cockpit.

'Give me the case.' The pilot commanded. 'I want it at the front with me.'

'Don't try anything,' Haru rebuffed, passing over the money- relieved that they would finally be leaving.

The plane took off and they drifted through the clouds- several times the pilot attempted to make small talk asking them who they were but Haru didn't respond- he spent the flight stroking strands of red hair from Rin's eyes, ensuring Rin breathed as he slept. About twenty hours into the flight, Rin shuffled against Haru's shoulder.

'Whas's in Rue de Nesle?' He murmured, almost inaudibly.

'My mother,' Haru replied, equally as quiet.

'You're sure that's a good idea...?' Rin sounded shocked. 'You never speak about your folks... I thought you didn't get on with them,' he mumbled.

Haru didn't reply. Other than the occasional call, he hadn't been to visit his mother in almost three years but he was her son, after all- that had to at least count for something.

Haru didn't have anything with him. He'd now given up the case of money to get out of Japan and he'd lost his rucksack unintentionally during the last several hours with the photobook of him and Rin: Rin had other contacts who were knowledgeable about vampires, but they didn't care if Rin lived or died- Haru felt as if he were alone with Rin, and the entire world were against them.

'Hey, Haru.. you okay?'

Haru nodded shortly, blinking to dispense his exhaustion. He was doing his best to hold himself together but he'd been unable to sleep after Rin had been wounded so his face was pale and the skin underneath his eyes was shadowy- Rin didn't like to see the beautiful blue of Haru's irises become tainted. He rested his head against Haru's shoulder, as this was the best he could do to confront him. Haru slipped his knife out of his pocket and glided it along the underside of his own arm, using the sleek blade to cut his own wrist, holding it up to the plane window-his blood glistened in the sun.

'Rin... you're hungry.'

'No,' Rin moaned. 'Haru, _no_-'

_'_Just_ eat it._'

'H-Haru...'

Rin pressed his lips to Haru's wrist- only intending to lick at it- but the smell of warm, human blood was too tantalising for him to resist: he bit and sucked on Haru's cut- tracing it with his tongue- nipping at the surface of the wound, digging in his teeth and drinking the blood that bled anew. Haru gasped, then when Rin bit down and tore away a small, peel of skin, a shuddering breath escaped his lips- he supposed he was a masochist for liking the way it felt.

The pilot was talking about how they were a few hours from landing but Haru didn't catch any of it: he was too preoccupied with kissing Rin. Rin's lips were cold and Haru used his tongue to warm them, sliding it in past Rin's sharp teeth, sliding it heavily around the inside of Rin's mouth. Haru could taste his own blood on Rin's lips as they kissed, setting an arm around Rin's shoulder- drawing them both in closer together. When they separated, Rin's chest was heaving and the two of them closed their eyes, resting their heads against each other's shoulders- the hum of the plane's engine rocking them both to sleep.

* * *

It was night again by the time the pilot woke them and Haru and Rin had arrived in Paris; Haru left the suitcase of yen with the pilot and thanked him briefly before hauling Rin out of the plane. The two of them didn't have any euros- or yen now, for that matter- but Haru discovered quickly how easy it was to steal from somebody in an alleyway when you had a knife. A few days ago, Haru would have trembled when pointing a blade at another person but Rin's life was in danger, now- he couldn't afford to overthink.

The man he'd stolen from had been carrying 98 euros, which Haru gave to a taxi driver alongside the addressee of a house in Rue de Nesle. After the taxi dropped them off outside a block of houses, Haru picked up Rin and carried him over his back. Rin was heavier than him by several kilograms, but Haru was capable enough to manage- he knocked on his mother's door and waited, until a woman in her mid-forties wearing a nightgown answered.

'_Haruka_?' The woman exclaimed and Rin had to admit, he could see the resemblance- Haru's mother, too, had silky, black hair, slender bones and long, elegant legs... yet somehow, she wasn't as _compelling_ as Haru... she wasn't as calm, much more irritated and obnoxious.

'Haruka,' she breathed. 'You _can't_ be here-'

'I-I need to come in,' Haru insisted.

He carried Rin up the steps, finding himself in a living room. A man with a towel around his waist peered out from behind one of the doorframes.

'Micheal, you're going to have to leave,' Mrs. Nanase told the man, but Haru wasn't paying attention-

'I need to elevate Rin,' he mumbled.

'There's a spare room by the upstairs bathroom,' Mrs. Nanase pursed her lips. 'But don't let him leak blood all over my new carpet. Haruka… I don't understand-'

Haru didn't stick around to explain- he carried Rin to the upstairs hall and gripped a door handle when a white terrier flocked to Haru's feet, howling and snapping its teeth as it attempted to jump up at Rin.

'Go _away,'_ Haru breathed, kicking the dog in the stomach, sending it skittering across the floorboards. He went in and closed the door behind them- hearing the dog scratch and yowl from the other side- laying Rin down onto a sofa bed and pulling out the cupboards in an attempt to find blankets.

'Rin... are you okay?'

'Mmn' fine... It doesn't seem to be... that serious... I think your knife just grazed one of my arteries when the bullet got... got cut out...'

'Hold on.'

Haru dropped to his knees, using his nimble fingers to loop multiple blankets around Rin's body which would retain his warmth. Rin had stopped bleeding, thankfully and had fallen once more into a deep sleep: Haru waited until Rin's pulse and breathing both maintained a strong, steady rhythm before leaving Rin by himself, quietly closing the door. The white terrier bared its teeth at Haru, snarling at him as he came out.

'You're bothering Rin,' Haru told the dog as he thumbed the handle of the knife in his pocket and the dog let out a low, fearful whine.

* * *

When Haru arrived downstairs, his mother had prepared dinner. A plate of salmon sat in the middle of the dining table, surrounded by several expensive-looking side dishes: Haru sat.

'Your friend isn't eating dinner with us?' She asked.

'He was stabbed,' Haru replied. 'We were attacked coming here. They ran off with our bags... all we had was change for a taxi.'

Haru's lie seemed watertight; he wasn't about to tell his mother that his Grandmother's house had exploded, or that Rin was a flesh-eating vampire who'd been shot in the heart during their escape. Mrs. Nanase frowned.

'You should call an ambulance for him.'

'He's fine,' Haru replied.

'PETAL!' His mother banged a spoon against a dog bowl. 'Come on, Petal! _Come on, girl_!'

But the dog didn't come: eventually, his mother gave up, sighing about how the dog usually filled up on biscuits and had probably fallen asleep in the hall. Sitting back at the table, she reached across and touched Haru's cheek hesitantly, as though extending a hand toward a fine painting...

Or feeling something dirty. Instead of commenting on how much Haru had grown during the last time they'd seen each other or asking about swimming, the point she choose to question was:

'Why did you bring your friend to see me?''

'Rin's my boyfriend.'

'_Boyfriend_?!'

The horror in his Mother's voice was evident. She laughed, as if he'd tried to tell a joke-

'Haruka,_ please_\- men aren't supposed to do those kinds of things with each other! It's just... well... I thought you knew better. Speaking of which, it's the middle of a term: why aren't you studying?'

'I'm not interested in that…'

Mrs. Nanase put down her fork.

'This is because of that _boy_, isn't it? Haruka, you can't stay here. You can both sleep for the night, then I want you on a plane back to Japan tomorrow evening-'

'Why are you being like this?' Haru asked.

'I don't have any room for you here. I'm _busy_-'

'You're busy...' Haru murmured. 'That was why you left me with grandmother, even when she was dying-'

'Oh Haruka, don't bring that up-'

'It's the truth! How can you say that my relationship with Rin is wrong,' he asked, quietly. 'When you can't keep any of yours-'

There was a sharp pain in Haru's cheek as his mother drew back a hand and slapped him.

'Enough,' Mrs. Nanase's voice was shaking. 'Haruka, that's enough: I'm not going to listen to this any longer! You've turned out to be such a disappointment... it's any wonder your grandmother ever put up with you at all!'

Haru's legs felt weightless as he walked upstairs to the spare bedroom where Rin was resting, settling tentatively beside him. His chest ached... inexplicably, he needed Rin's company. Haru spooned his body against Rin's outside of the bedding, wrapping his arms around Rin's waist. In the inky darkness of the room, he woke Rin gently, needing reassurance to confirm to him, undoubtedly, that he was doing the right thing.

'Mn... Haru?' Rin gradually awakened, confused.

Haru smoothed his hands along Rin's stomach, slowly stripping off his blood-stained shirt and smoothing his palms along Rin's torso. Rin's wound had begun to heal but he was still weak so Haru was gentle, opening up Rin's pants and giving his cock a few encouraging strokes, watching the other man shudder and sink his sharp teeth into his lip.

'Rin...' Haru faltered, struggling to explain. 'It's because of me you got shot. I'm the one who told Makoto about you... I _didn't_-'

'_Haru_,' Rin laughed softly. 'Just forget it. All that matters is that you're safe... that we can be together...'

'I thought I'd lose you,' Haru managed, pillowing his head on Rin's chest away from the wound as Rin twined his fingers through the dark roots of Haru's hair. Rin was quiet, before the silence enticed him to speak up:

'That bullet got so close to my heart- so close... my heart is the only part of me that heals like an ordinary person. Haru, I was afraid.' His voice died down, temporarily. 'For a few seconds, I went to a dark place... everything stopped. There wasn't anything... lights out. Nothingness.'

'You won't go through it again,' Haru insisted. 'Rin... if you're going to live forever then I'll be with you. My eternity is yours.'

'Haru...'

Haru planted a soft kiss on Rin's lips which quickly turned rough and demanding- Rin fisted his fingers in Haru's hair and ground up against Haru's body, tugging Haru down and grinding them both together.

'Can you-'

Rin's lips quirked into a smirk and Haru cut his question halfway, knowing that Rin would be strong enough for this. Rin lined Haru's neck with his tongue, grasping the bulge in Haru's pants as Haru thrust down against him, quietening Rin's moans with his kisses. Haru stroked Rin simultaneously, waiting until his cock grew warm and erect before sitting himself up to straddle Rin with his thighs, pushing two fingers inside of himself.

'You're eager...' Rin murmured. 'I'm wounded, so be gentle with me, alright?'

Heat and sharpness flooded Haru as he lowered his body down and pierced himself with Rin's dick, panting at the friction and tightness that rose up from his crotch, enveloping him. He started slowly- moving up and down- steadily until he could maintain a rhythm, feeling Rin spread him.

'Uh... uhhh...'

Up and down, up and down: Haru moved atop Rin slowly, feeling Rin's cock harden around his muscles. Rin was panting slowly, gripping ahold of Haru's thighs- Rin's skin felt warm underneath Haru's, his lips half-parted, his face hot- his expression pleased Haru. After thrusting himself down particularly hard against Rin, Haru's breath seized at the sharpness- Rin's hands tightened on his thighs, as a comforting gesture.

'Don't be... Haru, you're so _desperate_-'

'Rin, want... to ride you faster...'

'Haru,' Rin groaned. 'Your mother's downstairs... be _quiet..._'

'Don't care...'

Haru laid his palms flat on Rin's chest as Rin threw his head from side-to-side on the pillows, the warmth and friction of Haru's insides clenching around him. There was the sound of wet skin slapping against wet skin as Haru moved faster, both of their skin slick from the sweat of their bodies and layers of covers which pooled around them. Rin's abs and forehead glistened, and in that moment, Haru didn't want their orgasm to come- he didn't want the morning impending or the moon to give way to the dawn, so the two of them could lay eternally, together. Then ecstasy ripped through him- blinding and hot- and he felt Rin's cum fill him up moments after, the sticky droplets oozing gradually out of the raw skin, sliding down the back of his thighs.

After disconnecting, they lay against one another. Rin bit and pulled on Haru's earlobe, running his tongue along the flesh shell of Haru's ear.

'You're clingy...' Rin grinned. 'It's not like you- did what happen to me scare you? Haru, you don't need to worry... it was just a bullet. I don't die so easy.'

Rin had said those words, although Haru couldn't feel sure- for a few hours, he'd really thought that Rin was inescapably within the grip of certain death.

'Rin.' Haru murmured. 'You said... you can sense people's emotions.'

'Yeah, what about it?'

'How did my mother feel about seeing me?'

'What do you think?'

'…She's disappointed.'

'You're definitely wrong. It's jealousy...' Rin stretched, grinning at Haru. 'Because your legs are better than her's…'

'Shut up.'

'Don't get mad- although it's fun when you're annoyed! Haru, it doesn't matter what other people think.'

'How did she feel?'

'I already told you, it doesn't _matter_\- just go to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll get up early and we can leave when it's dark… I don't think I could travel far in this condition, but it isn't safe for us to stay here, either. When I recover, I'll take you to a place in Australia where someone can make you like me. For now, close your eyes.'

Something was still biting at Haru, but he didn't give his thoughts a voice: Rin placed his fingers over Haru's eyelids as if to instruct them to stay shut and Haru sighed briefly, allowing himself to relax against Rin- sleep spilling over the both of them like liquid.

* * *

_It's too late to regret anything now._

* * *

At four-thirty the next evening Rin awoke, stretching his legs as he sat. Although his chest still hurt like hell, he was undeniably getting better- Rin could stand now and walk around… not far- and there were still red spots hanging over his vision- but Rin supposed he just had to deal with it until he recovered fully, and ensure he didn't push himself too much.

His body felt like several pounds of dead meat as he dragged himself to the kitchen but he felt reassured by the fact that Haru was awake; Rin could hear his collected breathing even from the top of the stairs, sense his presence and smell his body... Haru's smell seemed to wrap around Rin, despite the fact that it was tinged with... something. Once arriving in the kitchen, Rin circled his arms around Haru and nipped him on the jaw by way of saying good-morning. Off... something felt off... but again, Rin couldn't put his finger on what. Not immediately, at least.

'There's breakfast.' Haru said.

'Breakfast?'

'Yeah... yours is in the living room.'

Blood: there had been blood flecked on Haru's wrist, the bubbles from the soap tinged red as Haru washed his hands under the kitchen tap. The sight of it made Rin's turn cold- how had Haru managed to drag a body home with his Mother in the house? And then it sunk in... and Rin found himself feeling horrified.

As Rin passed slowly to the living room, he was hit by the powerful scent of fresh blood. Usually, Rin found blood enticing- arousing, even- but for the first time in his life as a vampire, Rin was staring at a fresh corpse and he wasn't hungry.

Haru's mother lay in the middle of the carpet dead in a pool of her own blood, a knife sticking up from her breast. There were bloody handprints on her white nightgown and several more stab wounds underneath the one containing the blade: her eyes and mouth had been open when she'd died- the red marks around her neck made Rin wonder if she'd been suffocated first.

'You're not hungry?'

Rin spun around to find Haru standing in the doorway, looking across to Rin. Rin stared back at him in disbelief and when his lips parted to speak a word, it was barely more than a whisper:

'...Why?'

'I have you,' Haru replied. 'No one else matters-'

'She was different,' Rin murmured. 'She was your _family_-'

'She wasn't anything,' Haru came closer. 'Rin, you said... you're all I need-' Haru reached out to touch Rin's cheek tenderly, smearing blood down his face in the process. Rin recoiled.

'This wasn't what I wanted of you. This isn't... this isn't you, Haru- look at yourself!'

Rin's version of Haru was gentle and he paused before taking up a knife. Rin's Haru was more resistant, more independent, challenging and unwavering, and that was what Rin liked about him... his Haru did not stand before him stoic as he announced he'd plunged a knife into his own mother's heart.

'This is what _you_ wanted,' Haru accused, before turning to leave.

And when Rin found the dead dog in the upstairs bathroom- bloody and dripping behind the shower curtain- he had to wonder if his Haru was lost forever: never to come back.

* * *

**-PART 2: time slips away (3,102 words)-**

Rin and Haru spent two more days at Haru's mother's house, where the two of them bickered.

No matter how different Haru had become, he would always be the beloved one for Rin but that didn't mean that Rin liked to see Haru change so drastically to become pointlessly visceral; Rin had tried to explain that he'd been fine the way he was, but he'd replied that it was too late to undo anything- that Haru had already taken his first few steps into a macabre new world and Rin had been the one to lead him there. They needed to be ruthless if they wanted to survive: Haru had announced that he wanted to be able to protect both of them- that he didn't want to grovel, helpless and always depend on Rin because he suspected that a day would come when Rin wouldn't be there to help him. And, he would be right... not that either he or Rin had known this at the time.

The two of them went through Haru's mother's house and found some euros, pocketing them before departing. Rin spent a further week in various hotels recovering whilst Haru stocked up on supplies. The two of them got a taxi to the airport then took a plane to Australia, claiming that their bags with identification were stolen and managing to get on after several screening sessions. After stealing some Australian dollars from a traveller, they both checked in to yet another hotel and allowed the morning to pass.

Whatever anger they'd harboured between them evaporated once they got into the room- suddenly, they wanted every extra minute with each other they could get. The two of them shut the blinds and spent the morning intimately, awaking at night and leaving together. Using the rest of the money they'd stolen, they caught several trains, taxis and busses... until finally, they were brought close to their destination.

'We're going to do a lot of walking,' Rin explained. 'Are you ready?'

Haru had spent entire weeks swimming all day long throughout the summer so he could cover long distances on foot: he nodded.

They walked through several fields of rye crops in the darkness, eventually reaching an abandoned industrial estate. They slept the brighter hours away in a dilapidated factory before progressing North, finding themselves beside a deep river that led to a partially caved-in, concrete tunnel.

'Well,' Rin shrugged off his bag, rubbing his shoulders to relieve the muscles. 'This is it.'

It was dark inside of the tunnel and they walked for several further hours before reaching what seemed to be the end, which had been sealed by a landslide- slithers of light peeped in through the concrete ceiling which was cracked and caked in grime. Here, the birds had all stopped singing; everything was still.

'We'll use the side entrance,' Rin told Haru, moving from him.

Rin shifted a beam so that Haru could see a heavy drain cover lying beneath their feet. He undid a locking mechanism, then twisted the valve around and around… then, the drain opened up and Rin climbed down, calling for Haru to follow him down a thin, descending ladder, it's bottom concealed by stretching darkness. It was pitch black so Haru couldn't see below him, and his foot slipped on one of the rungs- he fell, but two arms caught him suddenly, lowering him gently back down to the ground.

'Are you alright?' Rin asked.

'The ladder rungs are covered in plants...' Haru muttered.

'Well, they would be; no one usually goes in this way. C'mon.'

They were in an underground pipe: touching Haru's arm to lead him though the dark, Rin brought him through a dirty, chilly river of sewage and waste. Black water pooled around Haru's hips as he waded through it- he didn't complain, despite the cold seeping through, chilling him to his bones. They walked for about a mile- twisting around corners and constantly travelling downward- until, eventually, the pipes diverged and Haru begun to hear voices.

They were deep underground, face to face with an aged but electronically sealed door which Rin opened with a code. They were met by another drainpipe, except here it was cleaner, and reasonably well lit... then Haru noticed them: vampires, identifiable due to their drawn-out teeth… Haru immediately tensed.

Crowds of vampires dressed in identical red jumpsuits were scattered throughout the pipe, their eyes following Rin and Haru as their shadows fell over them when they passed. Some were talking, some were gambling and some were having intercourse, their bodies coiled around one another like twined snakes.

'Don't say anything.' Rin murmured to Haru. 'Don't speak unless someone asks you a question and don't react to anything you see or hear, because the chances are that whatever you say, they'll find a way to turn it against you- Haru, you should agree with them but don't make it too obvious. Know your place at all times- things are done differently here.'

'_Rin_,' Haru felt panic bubble inside of him. 'This is a vampire _nest_-'

'Calm down,' Rin mumbled. 'I'm a stronger one, and that's why I'm allowed to go outside. You have my scent all over you which means the others won't hurt you whilst you smell like me unless they're suicidal. All the same... it's better not to provoke them.'

Haru kept his head down as he followed Rin through the pipes into a vast room. Atop a slab of granite sat a vampire on a throne, observing them both with a discourteous expression; a pretty, young human woman was chained to the bottom of it with several layers of masking tape over her mouth, her eyes wide and fearful… Haru tried as hard as he could to forget and ignore her laying there.

'I need to speak with Seijuurou,' Rin told the vampire. The reply was listless:

'Seijuurou isn't available right now. I'm his stand-in.'

'When will I be able to see him?'

'Whenever he returns- I'll send someone to fetch you. Return to your quarters... subject 3.3450.'

Rin clicked his tongue to made a 'tsk' sound then walked off and Haru followed him through another pipe, the muffled, helpless screams of the woman following Haru as they departed. His thoughts came in manifestations as he tried to ingest everything that was happening around him; Rin collected a key from a desk and told him that they'd go back to his old bedroom to wait out the free time. All of the vampires they passed in the pipes stared at Haru but none of them moved nor said anything.

'Haru,' Rin insisted, suddenly. 'Cover your eyes.'

'What-'

'_Cover your eyes! _Do it!'

Haru closed his eyes just in time but he couldn't block his ears- he heard the screams and moans of countless people as they passed through a door net, into a room that was hot and suffocated Haru's senses_._ There was the sound of knives being sharpened, razor wheels spinning and wet flesh being cut, accompanied by a rancid odour... then Rin pulled Haru out and Haru lifted away his hands.

'What was that?' he asked Rin. 'What did we walk through?'

'An abattoir,' Rin gritted his teeth. 'For humans. They're… livestock to us.'

Haru didn't trust himself to comment. He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and tried to think of something else... something far away from where he was now-

'Shut your eyes again,' Rin ordered him. 'We have to pass through the waste collection room. Then the freezer... then the brothel...'

After passing through the corridors, Rin took Haru into a lift that rattled as it carried them deeper underground, into a corridor containing maybe three hundred doors. Rin inserted a key into one:

-3.3450-

And pushed it open.

The room behind the door was not unsimilar to a disused military bunker: it was tiny and filthy, the walls and ceiling alike covered in pipes. Haru could hear the hiss and trickle of water above them and could see a vent positioned above the doorway, welded closed by a metal lid. There was a fold up bed in the middle of the room, a small washbasin and a cardboard box containing a spare blanket and several hygiene supplies; stuck on the wall above the bed was a photograph of eleven-year-old Rin with his arm around Haru: the one that had been cut out from Rin's Iwatobi elementary school yearbook. The room was enclosed by a heavy, iron door that seemed more than capable of keeping them both sealed in.

'This used to be my bedroom,' Rin explained, spinning around. 'This was where I woke up after I'd changed. For the first few months after I became the way I am now, they had to keep me in this place and monitor me... but I was allowed out eventually. Because I'm one of the successful ones.'

'Successful?'

Rin swept back his red hair and showed Haru the top of his neck.

'See this?'

Haru looked:

-3.3450-

The tiny number had been tattooed into the back of Rin's neck, just below the top of his hairline.

'It's a product number,' Rin explained. 'They put numbers on all of us so they can tell which ones are healthy.'

Haru looked away, not sure what he should be feeling, cross-referencing this new information with everything Rin had told him in the past.

'I don't understand...' At first, Rin had claimed that he didn't remember anything about how he'd become a vampire, now he'd shown Haru this tattoo- 'You said you didn't know how you changed.'

'I don't,' Rin confirmed. 'Haru, that's the thing; I don't remember being bitten. All I remember is going for a run one evening and seeing a can of gas roll in front of me... when I woke up after that, I was lying in this bed with two holes in my neck and Seijuurou leaning over me, telling me I was a vampire. I had to stay in this place whilst they made me do some tests and gave me my tattoo then two months later Seijuurou told me I could leave. I didn't stick around to ask questions- I wanted to get out.'

'Who is Seijuurou?'

'The leader of this society. If we find him, we'll find answers: Haru, that's all I know.'

Rin paced the room in controlled strides as Haru watched the paint peel from the walls. They had time to kill in Rin's room but neither of them were in the mood to have sex... so, Haru tried again with talking.

'The vampires here don't care about privacy,' he murmured, remembering the way he'd seen groups of them engaging in the corridors. Rin shrugged.

'We're different from you; we have higher sex drives. We're immune from illnesses so there aren't any STDs, and pregnancy is impossible since female vampires aren't menstrual- there's no fighting, either. It's nice.'

Haru stared hard at the floor- of all the words he knew, 'nice' wasn't the one he would have chosen to summarise what he'd witnessed. He didn't want to become a vampire if it meant melting into this world... he didn't want to have sex in hallways, he didn't want to live underground in pipes and he didn't want to eat humans from farms.

'This isn't a society,' Haru replied. 'This is a cult.'

Rin didn't rise to the argument, and Haru found himself becoming frustrated.

'Was I the first person you were with?'

The question escaped Haru before he could prevent it tumbling from his lips. Rin didn't answer immediately and when he did, it wasn't the answer Haru had wanted-

'I don't see how that matters,' Rin said coolly. 'Was I the first for you?'

'Yeah.'

'Okay, then. That was your choice.'

The conversation ended there... Haru remained quiet. A blade of jealousy had been slipped inside of him and the longer he tried to bury it, the deeper it twisted into his body. He felt unsettled- the very air here was dispositioned.

'I want to leave,' Haru told Rin firmly. 'It's not safe here. ...You don't know what you're doing.'

'Haru, you _said_ you wanted to be like me,' Rin snapped, angrily. 'I brought you here for _us!_ This is the only safeguard for our future, so that I can be with you, forever-'

There was a soft thumping at the iron door and the sound seemed to echo throughout the room. Rin drew out his fangs and stood front of Haru protectively, hesitantly unlocking the door. A boy of around Rin's age with choppy, grey hair dressed in a white jumpsuit was revealed to be standing outside in the hallway, his sullen, grey-blue eyes burning into Haru.

'Seijuurou wants to see you,' he said tonelessly. Rin nodded.

'Alright. I'll make my way over.'

Rin closed the door and- now that they were alone- pulled Haru into his arms, holding him tightly against his chest.

'We have to go,' Rin murmured. Haru shook his head.

'I can't meet your leader. If he senses how I feel about this place, he'll kill me.'

Rin took Haru's hands in his own and squeezed his knuckles, encouraging the fingers to unclench.

'We shouldn't separate,' he murmured. 'Not here-'

'I won't go.'

'You'll be with me. I'll protect you-'

'I don't trust you,' Haru looked at him as he spoke the words. 'You haven't recovered from the bullet, so you won't help. I'm not leaving this room.'

'So fucking stubborn...' Rin muttered, under his breath. 'That's seriously gonna be the death of you one day. If you stay here then I'm locking you in. I don't know how long I'll be-'

'It doesn't matter.' Haru cut him off. 'Hurry up. So we can leave.'

Rin bit into his lip irritably- clearly not liking the idea of leaving Haru by himself but after some thought, seemed unable to find any further grounds to disagree. He made a sound between a sigh and a growl.

'Stay _here_. Don't try and leave this room.'

'I won't.'

The iron door swung shut, the key clicked in the lock then Haru was alone.

Alone in the silence.

* * *

**-PART 3: In which, submerged (5,076 words)-**

The first several minutes Haru spent alone in Rin's bedroom he passed by sitting against the frame of the bed, thinking and listening to the dripping of pipes. The first thump startled him immediately: it was a dull, clunking sound, coming from somewhere within the room-

_Not the door... then where? _

The vent, realised Haru: there was something in the vent.

_Thump, thump, thump-_

Again and again. Something was banging against the metal cover to no avail... then came the drilling.

It was a sharp, high-pitched sound that cut through Haru's nerves and only when Haru saw sparks on the surface of the metal did he begin to panic. Startled, he stood and backed himself against the wall, picking up a rusted pipe from the floor even though he knew it would do little to protect him. Fear coiled inside of him as he watched the hot point of the drill create a circle in the metallic cover before it clattered to the ground. A solitary figure climbed out, landing in front of Haru with a soft thud.

'Hi!'

It was the boy who'd come to the door earlier: the one with grey hair and sullen eyes. He looked slightly different this time though, and the change in his demeanour wasn't nearly all- one side of his lips had curved upwards into a smirk… the other was collapsed.

'Heard there was a new kid,' the vampire grinned. 'So, I came in to check him out! There was a lot of whispering about_ Matsuoka_ bringing someone back, then I saw him leave... _oh_: deserting you in a society of vampires- that is not a wise move at all! I'm Nitori, by the way!'

Haru didn't reply, staring back in disbelief- still clutching onto the rusted drainpipe.

'Hey, this is you and Matsuoka as kids, right?'

Nitori snatched the photograph of Rin and Haru from the wall.

'Don't touch...' Haru murmured, but Nitori ignored him: he ripped the photograph into halves, so that Haru and Rin were on opposite sides and crumpled both of the pieces into one hand, outstretching the other for Haru to shake it. Very hesitantly, Haru did- then, Nitori laughed in excitement, throwing himself down onto the bed and dragging Haru with him.

'It's alright,' Nitori smiled- a little wider than necessary- displaying his pointed fangs. 'Haru, I'm your friend. You're going to be one of us soon, aren't you?'

'Yeah.'

'Want me to show you the sights?'

Haru pulled himself into sitting position- Nitori had now placed a hand on his thigh.

'I have to stay here,' Haru explained.

The hand on Haru's thigh gripped suddenly and Haru gasped, feeling Nitori's nails pierce him through his clothes-

'Oops!' Nitori laughed. 'Sorry, I forget how tender humans are- my bad!' And yet, his grip didn't soften- Haru quivered now, feeling the top layer of skin on his thigh break away underneath Nitori's hand. 'C'mon, Haru... we'll only be out for ten minutes. Come out with me. C'_mon_.'

It was phrased as a question but clearly meant as an order- Rin had told Haru not to disagree with any of the vampires but he'd also told Haru not to leave the room, and Haru knew that his chances of survival were much greater in this room than the rest of the sewer.

'I can't,' Haru kept his rejection respectful. 'I don't want to go now... another time.'

'Alright.' Nitori laughed softly. 'Alright.'

There was a click and Haru cried out suddenly as Nitori grasped his left hand and bent all of his fingers backwards, breaking them with a slight flex of his wrist. Haru shuddered as the snapped bones begun to ache, hot, raw pain flowing through his hand as blood rushed to his trembling fingertips.

'I'll ask you again,' Nitori's voice was gentle. 'Haru, you'll come out with me... won't you?'

_Rin... I want Rin. He's supposed to be protecting me-_

Haru nodded, and his head thrummed with pain.

'That's awesome!' Nitori laughed, throwing his hands up into the air and allowing the pieces of photograph to flutter onto the floor.

In the photograph, Rin was intact, but the portion of Haru had been ripped into unidentifiable pieces.

* * *

Rin felt uneasy as he walked to the throne room for the second time that day. His mind was stuck on a loop; the same worries and fears kept repeating themselves over and over, as if stuck on a visceral spin cycle. Pictures and memories of Rin's time with Haru fragmented in his head.

Haru: he was worried about Haru. Rin had left him alone in a windowless room with a locked, iron door but he couldn't escape the feeling that _something_ was about to happen- Rin didn't think any of the other vampires were stupid enough to put their hands on Haru when Haru was marked with _his_ scent but then again, Rin couldn't guarantee that one wouldn't- a shapeless emotion formed inside of him.

_What does Haru mean to me?_

_Everything._

_I will do everything to protect Haru..._

But even Haru had said he didn't trust Rin's protection- that was why Rin had to find Seijuurou. He had to ensure that Haru's life would _not _be transient- Haru would live forever with him: this, he'd long decided.

Seijuurou was waiting in the throne room on top of the granite block when Rin arrived- the human woman who had been there earlier with the previous vampire was gone. Seijuurou's skin was the colour of tea with milk and his eyes glowed vivid amber; Rin bowed as a gesture of respect- you had to go with the way things worked here, if you wanted to stay alive.

'Matsuoka, huh?' Seijuuro boomed. 'To what do I owe the pleasure?'

'I need a favour,' Rin mumbled. Seijuurou laughed.

'I wondered if it were true... there were a few rumours in the halls about you and _human_... so, what is it you wanted, eh? My approval to hide him here? Protection?'

'I want to make him like me,' Rin revealed, as he looked up to Seijuurou eyes. 'That's why I... that's why I came to you. I need to know how the change happens, because it doesn't work when I bite people-'

'It isn't spread through biting.' Seijuurou interjected, and Rin stared back at him in confusion.

'N-no, that can't be right... I remember! Before the vampirism set in, there were two teeth holes in my neck-'

'There were two _pinpricks _in your neck,' Seijuurou corrected. 'Matsuoka, 'Vampirism' is a mutation of human cells, triggered by a new drug developed by a certain government... though for reasons you can understand, we try not to broadcast _that_ to the subjects here. The drug was meant as a biological weapon that triggered cannibalism, heightened emotional highs then death but an antidote was composed- when combined together, the two of them resulted in the evolution we're experiencing now. The drug is administered by an injection gun containing two needles containing the drug and its antidote- _those_ were the cause of the holes in your neck. At present, the antidotes are still being tested… that's what this place is for.'

'Then all of the vampires here are-'

'Test subjects!' Seijuuro clapped his hands. 'You've got it... we live in a guinea pig den! Everyone here has a number on their neck and the number corresponds to a certain strain of the same antidote- that way, we can observe the subjects who take different antidotes and record their results, to find out which ones have the best effects. We use jumpsuit colours so that the subjects are aware of their own statuses: red indicates violent strains, and white indicates mental instability and/or bodily deterioration- any of the subjects with either of these effects are permanently kept down here. Matsuoka, your drug was a successful one, which I why I can't just hand out the same mixture; I'd risk compromising our species, or prematurely exposing our existence-'

'That won't happen,' Rin assured him, quickly. 'This person is different... they mean everything to me. If I can't spend forever with him then I don't want it- that's why I'm asking you. _Please_. I need the drug and the 3.3450 antidote.'

'You never liked this lifestyle, did you?' A shadow seemed to fall upon Seijuurou's face and momentarily, Rin thought he saw compassion etched across it. 'Heh... although, I can't say I don't understand... so, I'm prepared to compromise! Matsuoka, I'll give you the drugs that you want... in exchange for your younger sister.'

* * *

Nitori pulled Haru along the drainpipes by his broken fingers as Haru tried his best to suppress his shivers. The vampire had made him climb out through the vent, forcing Haru out into a corridor through one of the grates. When they emerged, the pipeway that they walked along was silent- Nitori practically bounced as he led the way- forcing Haru to meet his speed.

'You don't like the farm, do you, Haru? Heard yooooouu talking about it with Matsuoka! Well, you know, that's kind of bad... because I wanted to go and see the farm with you! Oh, well- face your fears!'

The room which Nitori brought Haru into was enormous: the concrete ceiling seemed to loom like a sky and a factory sized building had been erected in the middle. At the front of it, a small square had been closed off by a wall-high fence... inside of the fence, Haru noticed... people.

'Wha'dyou think?' Nitori pressed.

Haru's mouth felt too numb to reply: he knew that he shouldn't have stared at the 'farm' but he was unable to help it- like a small child watching a horror film, he was unable to tear his eyes away.

A cluster of maybe one hundred humans were being kept behind the fence, all naked with collars around their mouths and numbers branded into their backs. By a wall, several people were hooked up to leads which carried blood from their bodies into buckets; the air was heavy with waste, sickness and blood… the odour forcing itself into Haru with each contraction of his lungs.

'They can't talk. No one ever taught them how.' Nitori leaned casually against the fence. 'They've been here all of their lives... they don't know they're going to be killed. They've never seen the light of day, and don't know pleasure or joy- they're literally born to bleed and get eaten.'

_Like animals. Worse than animals..._

Haru chose not to addressee Nitori because it was taking every ounce of strength in his body in order to prevent himself from being sick. When he looked closely at the humans behind the fence, Haru noticed that some of them were crying: having had more than enough he stepped away, trying to ignore the feelings that roiled turbulently within his stomach. Haru knew that if he protested, he'd probably end up the same way... he tried to hide his feelings by thinking about something else, but it seemed too late-

'We can't help the way we are,' Nitori told him gently. 'We need to eat humans to survive, and this is the most efficient way to get them. You agree, don't you, Haru?'

'Yeah.'

'_Liar._'

Nitori outstretched a hand and brushed Haru's cheek tenderly... then, he drew back a fist and punched him in the face. The impact came so fast that Haru staggered, falling backward onto the concrete, using his unbroken hand to sit himself up. His nose felt hot and crunchy as a small river of blood slipped out of one nostril- a dark, red streak connecting his nose to his chin.

'The outside isn't that bad,' Nitori crouched down beside Haru and wiped the blood from his face with his thumb- which he then licked. 'Want to see the slaughterhouse?'

'_No_.'

'_Come on!_' Nitori laughed. 'Where's your sense of adventure? You want to become one of us, don't you?'

'Rin will be looking for me-'

'_Haru_,' Nitori's voice was cold. 'You're not _getting _it. Whenever I suggest something, I always ask you first so we can pretend like you have a choice- or do you want me to break the other hand?'

'Rin will kill you,' Haru replied quietly. 'When Rin finds out what you've done to me, he'll kill you. Let me go back to my room and I'll tell Rin I hurt myself-'

'Hey, Haru,' Nitori crouched down beside him. 'Want to see something really frightening?'

Nitori grabbed the skin at the bottom of his own jaw and dug his nail underneath, ripping it up then pulling it backwards, exposing the red, twisted knots of muscle underneath.

'I'm dying,' Nitori explained. 'My body is flaking away. Haru, do you know what vampires are? They're experiments- they started out experimenting on war prisoners to create biological weapons then they accidently found a trigger to unlocking immortality; so, they begun kidnapping teenagers and testing antidotes on them. This is the way that they'll further mankind!' Nitori giggled. 'Kinda pathetic, isn't it?'

'But...' his voice was somewhat sad. 'Immortality comes at a price. They're still perfecting the antidote, which means testing- testing means experiments. I'm a failed experiment.' Nitori dropped his shoulders. 'The antidote they gave me didn't work, which was why I have to stay here in this white jumpsuit until I die and death is coming soon for me- I can feel it. Matsuoka was lucky because he got a good drug- when it comes down to it, it's just luck. That's why Matsuoka is allowed to leave the sewer- his drug enhanced him and made him better but mine made me deteriorate... so, that's why I'm not afraid of death.' He smiled. 'Haru, I'm not afraid of suffering and pain because I really want a ticket out of this lifestyle- for me, an agonising end will be a very sweet goodbye.'

Nitori traced his finger along Haru's jaw before digging it in and scratching him, catching a bead of blood on his nail.

'I've become really twisted, Haru. I don't remember my parent's faces or what it was like to live on Earth, anymore- I'm stuck in a hell where I can't emerge, with some drug I never asked for flowing through my veins. But there's one way I get pleasure from this place,' Nitori exhaled. 'I love seeing people bleed! When humans suffer, I get the biggest high- it sends an adrenaline rush to my brain that's waaaaayy better than anything from sex!'

Haru wasn't stupid enough to not see where this was heading- in a swift movement, he sent his elbow crashing backward and knocked Nitori in the face, barely managing to climb up before he was pulled back onto the floor-

'Not a wise move, Haru,' Nitori hissed. 'You're going to come to the slaughterhouse with me or I'm going to use my nail to rip open your stomach and drag out your intestines- which one will it be?'

'I-I-'

He gasped as Nitori dragged his nail through Haru's stomach and the skin ripped open, blood emanating from the tear.

'Again?' Nitori screamed in his face. 'Should I fucking scratch you again? Haru, you don't seem to get it: this is the_ farm_\- humans yell all of the time over here! I listened to your conversation with Matsuoka and heard that you want to be a vampire, well I have some news for you, Haru: you can't change someone who's already dead! The drugs only work on living cells so if I kill you now, you'll never change or recover... all I want is to play with you a little. If you let me take you to the slaughterhouse and hurt you so that I feel good, then I promise to keep you alive. Do you agree or not? Tell me which one it is! I want one word from you Haru, in the next ten seconds, or I rip out your throat.'

Haru's body trembled.

'Y-yeah.'

'Okay then!' Nitori's voice returned to its normal high pitch as he laughed. 'Let's go have some fun together!'

Then he grabbed Haru's hand- clutching at the broken fingers- opened the rusted gate and pulled Haru inside of the looming, stone building.

* * *

'You want me to give you... Gou?'

Rin remained still- trying to orient himself- as Seijuurou climbed down from his throne and begun to circle the room.

'I got another failed drug,' Seijuurou told Rin, sadly. 'My life expectancy is another three years- I'd like to spend them all with Gou; I'd like you to seek her out and bring her back to me, as I'm sure she won't come if I'm the one to ask her! Matsuoka... she'll come to you.' he sighed. 'I know you don't approve of the way I feel and that she isn't too interested, but I haven't been able to forget her. Ever since the first day I set eyes on her, she's all I've been able to think about... other humans are just cattle to me but Gou is... ah: I find her compelling. I've always thought she was too beautiful for this terrible world, but at the same time, I can't stand to let death touch her...'

Rin knew better than anyone about the obsessive attractions that the drug caused you to feel and how they could be intense and fixated around one person. Ever since Rin had woken up from being injected, his body had craved Haru- whereas the rest of the world agitated Rin, with Haru, he felt at peace. With Haru, he felt connected, binded- he loved Haru. More than words or touches could convey. So, he could understand what Seijuurou was saying.

'I-' Rin clenched his fists. 'I've decided-'

* * *

'It's great in here, isn't it?' Nitori laughed, spinning around to face Haru on the revolving platform where they were standing.

The slaughterhouse rose up several tiered floors and- in a merciful word- was _hot: _there was screaming and yelling and the click of machinery, the combined smell of blood and rust and all of it was too much. Barely half a minute after he'd entered, Haru was sick.

'You done yet?' Nitori asked.

'...Let me out.'

'What was that? Haru, do you want me to kick you so hard that I snap your head from the top of your spine? Well, if you insist-'

'Why are you doing this?' Haru couldn't prevent his voice from rising- frustration unfurling I inside of him.

'Strip down to your underwear,' Nitori smirked. 'And get down onto your knees before me- try to run or hurt me and I will end your life.'

The point of Nitori's nail glided along the smooth expanse of Haru's chest, slicing the skin with one sharp movement before Nitori used his tongue to lap up the blood. Haru shut his eyes, disgusted by the feeling- he wanting to grab Nitori by the hair and push him away, but knew he would be killed if he did- that was the only thought that he used to keep himself grounded. A cold tongue sucked two cuts- both below and above his nipple- before Haru's areola was pinched so firmly it bruised, Nitori's nails pushing in and slicing it away…

Haru gasped, refusing to give into his scream. Bruises sprung up, purple, green and black on his body accompanied by soft moans of pain. Nitori licked the bloodied area where the nub had been cut away then used his nail to stab at it, sinking into the crimson, damp patch as far as it would go, piercing Haru, twisting it around...

_Rin is coming._

_Rin is coming._

_Rin is coming, HE'S COMINGHESCOMING COMING-_

Haru tried his best to down his cries as sharp nails trailed along his arms, blood blossoming from the ragged cuts where his skin split open. Nitori plucked the waistband of Haru's underwear with his fingers and Haru almost convulsed, when…

'Boring,' Nitori sighed. 'BORING! Where's the rush in taking it slow... you're not even screaming! We need something_ really_ painful so that I can feel all the life coming out of you, like... _oh._ Let's go upstairs!'

With a smile of malice, Nitori lead Haru up several flights of steps to a platform where the floor was composed of a square grate- multiple glass tanks were situated underneath. Humans hung in single file from the ceiling with hooks in their legs. Caskets were dotted around the platform, directly above with the tanks beneath them.

'Why are you hurting me?' Haru asked Nitori, yet even words ached- 'Are you jealous of Rin?'

Nitori laughed.

'Aw, Haru, don't feel that way... I like hurting you for _you_! I really like feeling other people suffer and you're a human who's from the surface: you're different to the people on the farms because all they know is despair! They're sad, sad, sad all of the time and when death comes, they welcome it... but _you_.' Nitori clasped Haru's hands. 'You're really looking forward to a future with Matsuoka, aren't you? You're really hopeful that the two of you will be together and you have so many countless emotions inside of you... you'll fight death to the bitter end to stay with him! That's why hurting you- feeling your disappointment, anger and sorrow: there's so much of it, and it gives me the biggest high!' Nitori giggled excitedly, resuming dragging Haru along. The clanks of their footsteps suddenly ceased as they stopped before a human shaped casket. Nitori opened the lid.

'In you go,' he ordered.

'An iron maiden...'

'Nope! It's a juicer. It crushes whole bodies into liquid at the max. setting.'

_A juicer..._

The interior of the casket was completely empty with small holes in the side-walls: a tank had been placed directly underneath the iron maiden just a little bigger than the contraption itself. Haru could see a wheel next to the machine and several, heavy boxes attached to the side: when the wheel was turned, Haru supposed, the spikes would come out of their boxes, through the holes in the caskets walls and crush the person inside to varying degrees, depending on how hard the wheels were turned. Their blood-or even their entire bodies- would drip in pulp form through the holes on the floor, into the tank below to be collected.

'I won't,' Haru said stubbornly. Nitori bared his fangs.

'It wasn't a request.'

Before Haru could protest, a hand grabbed his back and shoved him inside, the lid of the casket snapping shut behind him. A button was pressed then Haru heard the grinding of a wheel begin turning-

He'd barely processed the sound before spikes shot out from either side of him, piercing him so deep from so many positions: he couldn't scream or breathe. Light-headedness consumed Haru and if he weren't within a tight box with no room to do anything but stand- with spikes pinning him in place through several points in his body- he would have crumpled. Then, the spikes withdrew, the floor of the casket slid away and he fell.

It was a short fall to the bottom of the glass tank and Haru could have climbed out of it through the iron maiden, if the holed bottom of it hadn't automatically slid shut above him. The tank was the same size as a coffin, completely transparent, and where it was slightly bigger than the 'juicer' above it, Haru could reach a small portion of the square grate that made the floor above him.

It was then- looking up- that he realised what was going to happen.

'It will take thirty minutes for the tank to fill, then about seven for you to suffocate in a liquidised mixture of bodies. Know that no matter how much you struggle- no matter how much you fight it- this will be the end. Lucky you, Haru- everything's going to be over soon, okay? I just want one more high before I'm dead... if I can't have a happy eternity then neither can you. Goodbye.'

Nitori's eyes were fixed and empty as he stared down through the squares of the grate, panic engulfing Haru-

'This wasn't what you said!' He yelled up at Nitori. 'You promised to keep me alive-'

'_I lied_.'

Those two words made Haru's blood slow as it crawled through his veins- there was a creaking noise from high up above him and Haru watched the bodies on the conveyer belt begin to move, one by one, into the iron maiden, sliding along a rail that was connected to its top. There was the pitter patter of dripping blood as it landed onto Haru's forehead drop by drop, splash by splash- then came a yellow and pink, wet paste-like mixture compiled of crushed flesh and organs: the tank begun slowly filling up bodies that were squeezed into a juice.

The pain in Haru's body became insignificant, secondary to his survival instincts which screamed at him to get _out_. Haru thumped the glass of the tank with both hands, but the thick glass gave no indication of yielding to his pleas- Haru's mind begun to reel, knowing there had to be another way to escape.

Since the tank was intended to collect liquidised human bodies, there had to be a way to drain the mixture from it: Haru crouched and reached down into the thick, grotesque paste which had already collected, his fingers quickly finding a small indentation in the floor where a tube emerged from the other side of the glass: if he could open the channel, the substance would drain and he could prevent the tank from filling. But no matter how much his nails pulled at it, Haru couldn't open the passageway's cover from the inside: the substance had almost filled his nose when Haru forgot about it and stood, glancing around him hurriedly- praying that someone would let him out.

The 'juicer' that Haru had fallen through composed the most of the ceiling above, but due to the tank being slightly larger than the contraption, he could reach a small part of the platform's metal grating. Through his squares, he saw _Rin_ crouch down and he reached up-

'Rin-'

Haru tried to say that he loved him, but was forced to swallow as the paste flooded his lungs. His hair was damp and sticky, and barely five centimetres of air remained in the tank... four... three...

Rin kicked the floor and punched it, trying to break the metal with his fingernails.

'I'll get you out. Haru, I... I'll get you out, j-just give me your hand. I-it... it will be okay-'

Haru curled his fingers around the grating- the surface separating him and Rin- then felt a dull click as two, sharp needles simultaneously pierced his palm through the metal squares. He felt a strange liquid seep through his blood and unintentionally let go, distantly registering the fierce thundering of footsteps as Rin turned and ran. Haru's chest as though it were being compressed; his lungs begun to fill.

He was aware of his pulse quickening as terror swallowed him up, then it became quiet. Thick clusters of blackness spread out before his vision, until all that remained was a faint pinprick of light from somewhere unreachable above him. After the panic, Haru felt calm... he was dying. His breath was being smothered. But it didn't feel so bad.

During the final instants, Haru didn't feel as if he were in his body. He was in his living room, with Rin beside him lying on the floor, reading the poetry section of the yearbook they'd received as children- Haru didn't know what they were both talking about, but Rin was laughing and they were happy. The scene dissolved then Haru was kissing Rin, tasting someone else's blood on Rin's lips, kneeling over his mother's body... then he was back in the tank... and everything- including Haru- was red and stained in blood.

Haru felt himself fade. As he let the darkness creep over his vision, Haru didn't shut his eyes: they shut of their own accord. He was suspended, floating in the tank knowing passively that before the substance drained away the final remnants of breath would have already long-left his dead lips.

* * *

A crowd of vampires stood in a circle, staring at the body on the floor before them.

Immediately after he'd found Haru, the contents of the tank had been drained but even then, Haru had been trapped: Rin had screamed and kicked the glass, cried and pressed his nose against it, yet no amount of kicking nor punching could break it open. When someone had finally come with a hammer, it was too late- far too late.

All Rin had wanted was to keep Haru safe and prevent him from dying, but it had ended this way. Haru's death, Rin realised, had been coming for a while: ever since Rin had returned, he'd been so preoccupied with making sure they had a future together that he hadn't noticed how much his behaviour had _changed_ Haru: the person he was had been dismantled, melted down and cremated until he was someone different. Haru was gone; death was the final step which ensured the person who Rin had known would never, ever return.

Rin knew that when he gazed down at Haru he was looking at a dead body, yet he _couldn't _accept that- he lifted Haru into his arms, burying his nose within his damp hair.

'It's okay,' he murmured. 'Haru, you can wake up now... w_ake up_-'

But Haru didn't move- Rin thumped his chest and pressed his lips to Haru's mouth, yet nothing made any difference: Haru had stopped breathing. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, his lips blue, slightly parted and breathless…

'Haru, don't do this... _please_...'

The words were no more than whispers. Haru lay quiet against Rin's chest, undisturbed by the other man's pleas: when Rin shook his shoulders, Haru moved with them then went back to being still. Large, hot tears rolled down Rin's face as he gripped Haru, the corners of his mouth quivering.

Laughter: someone was laughing hysterically, the sound slicing through the silence. Exceedingly gently, Rin laid Haru down, standing angrily to see who was making the noise.

'He's really dead! Oh, fuck- and when you showed up at the end, Matsuoka... he really thought he was gonna get out-'

Rin grabbed Nitori and shoved him back against a wall, his eyes flashing as he drew out his teeth as long as he could: pinning Nitori in place with his nails.

'I'm going to kill you now,' Rin whispered, lips numb, and Nitori smiled softly.

'There is nothing you can do to hurt me anymore.'

Then his skin flaked away underneath Rin's fingertips and Nitori's body crumbled into dust.

Rin didn't know what to do. If Haru was gone then he didn't want forever: he didn't want increased strength or advanced senses: he didn't want anything... and he didn't want anyone else to have anything, either. Rin wanted everyone to suffer and die, for the whole world to pay for letting Haru _be killed_-

One of the vampires had taken Haru's head in his lap and was stroking his wet hair from his eyes. Rin spun around and was just about to kill him when he announced-

'His cuts are healing.'

* * *

**I said this was the last chapter. I lied. An epilogue is coming!**


	7. Resurrection

**Luuka**: this story is done! Thank you for reading!

Free! needs more horror AUs- it does. This was Luuka's contribution and I tried to balance 'messed up' and 'sweet,' so tell me how that turned out. (laughs) At any rate, it's over.

If you've stuck with me, I'm impressed and proud of myself for finishing this! Thank you so much for the feedback and I hope you've enjoyed the story, I'm happy/surprised at all of the positive comments because I didn't expect it in a horror. I love horror/romances to death so I'm glad other people do, too.

This is the final instalment!

* * *

_5 years later:_

Yoshito stumbled through a field as the night air ruffled his coat collar, causing it to bounce back and brush against his cheek. Sweetcorn plants snapped beneath him as he followed a figure through the thickening twilight- panting to keep up with the speed at which it walked, a low moon hanging above them in the sky.

The man in front of Yoshito- Rin- he'd met at a nightclub where Rin had managed to transfix him: from a distance he'd seemed like just another loser, yet up close Rin was_ alluring... _so much that it seemed inhuman. He was barely legal- perhaps a few months from his eighteenth birthday- and Yoshito didn't usually go for the younger ones, but there was something about Rin: he hadn't been able to walk away. Maybe that was why he'd climbed into Rin's car without a second thought. Maybe that was why he'd let Rin drive for three hours, away from the city into the middle of nowhere, through a field then into an abandoned pipe-

'Uh, hey... you sure you live all the way out here?'

Rin opened the drains lid and smiled.

'You're coming, right?'

If Yoshito had been able to look back, he wouldn't have known _why_ he'd gone into the drain- he would have said that he was brainwashed, because indeed, it was possible that he could have been; in that moment, he'd felt prepared to do anything Rin had asked him.

'Wh-where are we going, exactly?'

He wasn't granted with a response. Water dripped and their footsteps made splashes as they wandered through a labyrinth of pipes, deeper and deeper underground until eventually, they arrived in a hall... and Yoshito's breath caught in his chest.

There was a granite block in the middle of the room and around it bodies lay in a pile, broken and bent back at different angles- some of their faces fixed into dying screams- half eaten, tangled in each other as they decayed, and yet none of them mattered... because there was something far more breath-taking sitting atop of them.

Rin grabbed Yoshito by the scuff of his neck and pushed him down onto his knees before lowering down to kneel himself, dropping his red eyes to the floor. Yoshito couldn't help but steal a glance back up to the top of the pile once again: if he'd considered Rin to be enrapturing, then the being before him was something else.

His chin rested on his fingers as he surveyed them both, cold eyes narrowing as his gaze fell past the bones at his feet, onto Yoshito and Rin; the blue in his irises appeared to shine, as he peered out from beneath a dark fringe. His body was smoothly muscled- one long leg spread apart from the other- his slender hips rushing down into- what Yoshito imaged would be- a round ass with a tight, hot passageway that would wrap around and caress his own aching, throbbing length. He wanted to feel that more than anything. Looking up at the man above him caused Yoshito to feel so much desire that it was physically painful to bear... he gazed up, breath wavering uncontrollably as he spoke:

'Y-you're beautiful.'

Suddenly he was pinned to the floor, two red eyes flaring as Rin's hands squeezed his neck.

'Know your place,' Rin snarled in one breathe. The dark-haired man spoke.

'You took too long,' he said down to Rin, in a voice that was impossibly soft- it reminded Yoshito of clear water babbling along a meadow stream in the spring.

Rin dropped his head.

'I wanted to bring him back for you alive. I-I try not to get noticed...'

'I was waiting.'

The male stripped away his shirt to reveal the inward dip of his stomach, his slim chest pale in the dark of the room. He walked down the steps of the granite block- past the piles bodies that surrounded him- every lift of his legs seeming sensual until he stopped before Rin. He was actually shorter than the other man by a fraction, his bones a little more slender…

Then, as if Yoshito were not present- or as if he simply did not matter- the two of them begun to kiss.

_'Haru..._'

Fear paralysed Yoshito as he watched from the floor. He knew the two men in front of him had implied he could have been brought here dead, but he was unable to move away- arousal built as he witnessed them embracing, a moan escaping his lips. Haru evidently heard the sound because he turned, blue eyes gazing down at Yoshito… the intensity of his stare held the same effect as someone squeezing his cock- he no longer knew what he wanted.

'You don't have to be afraid,' Haru told him. 'Death doesn't hurt. I know.'

During that moment, Yoshito felt calm- he didn't even realise it when Haru's fingers closed around his windpipe and tore it out, exposing the white of bone. A stream of red flowed steadily from the breach, his head dangling limply to one side… tentatively, Haru removed his hand, drawing himself up.

'Haru...' Rin moved closer. 'You've got blood on your hands...'

'It's wasteful.'

Immediately Rin lifted Haru's palm and begun to lick the blood from it, lapping up all of the red to leave Haru's skin white and pure again, sucking on his fingers- breathing heavily as he took his time to clean the tips.

'Is it good?' Haru asked.

'Better when it's on your body. Haru... I need...'

'Then come to me,' Haru said simply. 'And I'll give you what you want.'

* * *

Holding his hand, Haru brought Rin to a double mattress and laid him down with a soft thump. They kissed passionately, ripping each other's clothes from their backs.

Normally, Rin waited for Haru to command him but now the dark-haired male's legs were spread, his breathing making soft sounds as Rin climbed atop his body. He allowed Rin to bite into his throat, leaving deep, crimson marks which healed over instantly, leaving Haru's skin creamy and untouched so that Rin could bite him over and over, yet not even blemish him slightly.

'Harder,' Haru commanded as Rin bit. 'I want it-'

Naked, Haru looked more desirable than ever. He lay with his torso stretched on the mattress and his chest heaving up and down, gazing back at Rin with clear, gentle eyes. The kiss Rin gave him was soft- as if to test how Haru liked it- then he licked his way down Haru's chest, his hands flat on Haru's skin. Rin's lips slid over Haru's hips and knees, even the bottom of Haru's feet- sucking the toes in worship before he crawled up, pressing their bodies together. Pink hair fell over Rin's face as he set his hands on Haru's hips in an attempt to control himself.

'Haru...'

Rin leaned inwards once more before his body suddenly froze, and an ache spread through him-

'What?' Haru asked. Rin shook his head frantically.

'No, I-I... I just remembered it. That day. Haru… sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up…'

'That day' Rin referred to was the day five years ago- the day several months after Haru had woken up as a vampire and he'd told Rin he wanted to kill all of the others. The sewers- once filled- had been completely emptied... that was what happened when Haru felt unhappy: he killed… and he killed without mercy. Every one of the vampires in the pipes had been massacred, until only the two of them were left.

The humans in the slaughterhouses had been killed by Haru, too. When Rin had asked what he was doing, Haru told him that he was setting them free, then he'd dropped a match and all of them had burned- all of them had screamed and the fires had reflected in Haru's eyes as he'd stood watching with his same, calm expression whilst Rin had remained beside him with a lump in his throat. That day had been branded into Rin's memory forever: no matter how many thousands of years he may live, he knew that particular one would never escape his mind.

'You failed,' Haru announced.

'I know…Haru, I'm sorry-'

'I don't need to depend on you,' Haru told Rin. 'Just stay faithful to me.'

_Rin, you look good on your knees._

Haru hadn't wanted Gou to live, either: since Rin had demanded Haru should sacrifice someone close to him for their relationship, Haru had felt Rin should also give a person in return. Rin didn't want to kill his sister, but he couldn't say no to Haru; he'd sought out Gou, brought her back to Haru and then killed her in front of him... because, that was what Haru had wanted. Because that was what Haru had asked.

Her dead body was preserved in a freezer room deep within the pipes. She looked beautiful in a white dress with her hair flowing down over her shoulders, her arms crossed over her heart and breasts. Every week, Rin would go down and change the lily in her hair. It was a reminder of his failure to Haru.

Over the past years, they'd met more vampires who'd been given successful antidotes like Rin and had been permitted to leave the pipes of their own accord- always coming back in the end. Upon Haru's instruction, Rin had welcomed them with open arms, waited until they became vulnerable then killed them: there were probably more out there, Rin realised; it was just a matter of waiting for them to come back and exterminating them, one by one. Haru didn't like anything he considered a threat

Naked, Rin crawled back on top of Haru, allowing the other man to wrap his legs around Rin's back and roll them both over- their kisses violent enough to suffocate each other.

'Fuck me,' Haru ordered, parting his legs wide for Rin to draw closer. Even though Rin had dedicated his life toward servitude with Haru, the other man still had a distinctive kink for being dominated… at least that much hadn't changed.

His thumb slid inside of Haru, rubbing repeatedly against his entrance to widen it, using his palm on his other hand to roll Haru's balls, before moving the hand up, wrapping his grip around Haru's member. Haru's gaze focused on Rin's erect dick as he felt more fingers twisting within him- thrusting back hard against them: feeling his needs intensify.

'So eager?' Rin teased.

'That's not the part of you I want... '

'Then what_ do_ you want?'

'...'

Rin rubbed Haru's hot flesh, his palms massaging Haru's thighs. Haru's cock had curled up to his chest and Rin leaned in close to lap at the leaking slit, feeding the fire that blazed through Haru's body- he tasted of precum and sweat. Rin's tongue curled around each one of Haru's nipples in turn, until the other vampire was anxious and heaving beneath Rin. Lifting Haru's legs, Rin thrust himself inside- slapping their hips together as they moved. His heartbeat roared in his ears as he felt Haru's hands roam his back, run through his hair, before their lips both met in a fierce, biting kiss and they broke apart, gasping-

'Haru... ka-'

It was more sensual, now: Rin drew out his movements to push himself deeper inside of Haru slowly, rocking himself to get the right angle- kneading Haru's hole until he was immersed to his balls.

_Haru, no matter what you tell yourself..._

_You're just as much mine as I am yours..._

Haru's fingertips turned white from squeezing the blankets as Rin sped up, leaning in close to his face, panting on Haru's cheek as their bodies collided in ecstasy.

_I love you._

Neither of them said the words, but breathed them into each other's skin- a silent oath shared between them as they thrust: a promise of forever. They orgasmed together- or at least, close enough- afterwards, Rin pulled Haru into his arms, holding him devotedly against his own chest. Rin caught a peek of Haru's fangs and noticed that at some point during the thrusting, Haru had bitten his own lip: Rin leaned in to suck the dried blood away, cleaning Haru then kissing him chastely. Rin watched Haru carefully, his red eyes glowing with love.

'What are you thinking?' Haru asked.

'The usual,' Rin's lips quirked. 'You mean so much to me, Haru.'

Haru's returning stare was imploringly.

'...How much?'

'More than anything,' Rin vowed. 'More than anyone... Haru, you've got all of my eternity. All I can give you, and everything I can yield-'

'Rin-'

'I love you, my Haru: overwhelmingly so.'

Haru pressed his cheek into Rin's chest as Rin held him within the enclosed fortress of his arms. He loved Haru so much- too much. More and more by the day: he always would. The two of them had become _obsessed _with each other, and that obsession grew with the passing minutes.

Rin didn't know if the 3.3450 antidote that he'd pierced Haru's palm with and now flowed through both of their veins really would make them live forever, or if he and Haru would die together in a few years' time- nor what might come after that. Whether the two of them would be faced with eternal silence or standing before the gates of Hell holding hands, Rin was sure of one thing: that he and Haru would be side by side, bloodstained as they kissed- until the bitter end.


End file.
